Moderation Policy

General Rules

1. Respect and Courtesy

• Respect All Players: Treat everyone with kindness and respect. Personal attacks, hate speech, and discriminatory remarks based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, or any other characteristic will not be tolerated.
• Constructive Feedback: Offer constructive feedback instead of harsh criticism. Help others improve their roleplay experience.

2. Roleplay Conduct

• Stay In-Character: Remain in-character at all times during roleplay. Use out-of-character (OOC) chat sparingly and only when necessary.
• Realistic Roleplay: Engage in realistic roleplay scenarios. Avoid actions that would be impossible or highly improbable in real life.

3. Metagaming and powerplaying

• Do not use out-of-character knowledge to influence in-character decisions. This includes information gained from streams, chats, or other external sources.
• Avoid Powergaming: Do not force actions on other players without giving them a chance to respond. Ensure all actions are realistic and consensual..

4. Griefing and exploiting

• No Griefing: Do not intentionally disrupt the gameplay experience of others through actions like spawn-killing, excessive harassment, or obstructing roleplay scenarios.
• Report Exploits: If you discover a bug or exploit, report it to the moderation team immediately. Using exploits for personal gain is strictly prohibited.

5. Cheating and hacking

• Zero Tolerance for Cheating: Any form of cheating, hacking, or using unauthorised third-party programs will result in an immediate and permanent ban.

Communication

1. In-game chat

• Respectful Communication: Use in-game chat responsibly. Avoid spamming, using offensive language, or excessive caps.
• Designated Channels: Keep out-of-character discussions in the designated OOC channels. Use roleplay channels for in-character communication.

2. Discord and other platforms

• Consistent Behaviour: Follow the same standards of behaviour on our Discord server and other platforms associated with LSMRP.
• Channel Appropriateness: Use appropriate channels for different topics. Avoid posting off-topic content in roleplay discussions.

Reporting and Appeals

1. Reporting Violations

• How to Report: Report any rule violations to the moderation team through a ticket in Discord.
• Provide Evidence: Include as much detail and evidence as possible, such as screenshots, video clips, or chat logs, to assist in the investigation.

2. Appeals Process

• Appeal Form: Submit an appeal through a ticket on Discord if you believe you were wrongly punished.
• Detailed Explanation: Provide relevant information and supporting evidence in your appeal.

Consequences

1. Education

• Minor Infractions: For less severe infractions, players may receive educational guidance on the rules and proper conduct. This may include a discussion with a moderator or referral to server documentation and guidelines.

2. TX warns (official warns)

• TX Warn: For repeated minor infractions or more serious single offences, a TX warn will be issued. This serves as an official warning and will be recorded on the player’s record. Warnings and above may impact your applications for divisions and command roles.

3. Temporary bans

• Serious Violations: Serious or repeated rule violations will result in a temporary ban. The duration of the ban will depend on the severity and frequency of the infractions, ranging from 1 to 10 days.

4. Permanant bans

• Extreme Cases: Extreme cases, such as cheating, hacking, severe harassment, or repeated serious violations, will result in a permanent ban from the server.

5. Ban evasion

• Additional Penalties: Attempting to evade a ban by using alternate accounts or other methods will result in additional penalties, including potential IP bans.

Specific Infractions and Punishments

1. Vehicle deathmatch (VDM)

• Definition: Using a vehicle to kill or injure players without proper roleplay justification.
• First Offence: Education or TX warn.
• Repeated Offence: Temporary ban up to 5 days.

2. Random deathmatch (RDM)

• Definition: Killing or attacking players without proper roleplay justification.
• First Offence: Education or TX warn.
• Repeated Offence: Temporary ban up to 7 days.

3. Trolling

• Definition: Intentionally disrupting gameplay or roleplay scenarios through obnoxious or disruptive behaviour.
• First Offence: Education or TX warn.
• Repeated Offence: Temporary ban up to 7 days.

4. Bullying and harassment

• Definition: Targeting individuals with sustained and hostile behaviour intended to harm or intimidate.
• First Offence: Temporary ban up to 5 days.
• Repeated Offence: Temporary ban up to 10 days. Permanent ban for severe or repeated cases.

5. Cheating and hacking

• Definition: Using unauthorised third-party programs or methods to gain an unfair advantage.
• Immediate Consequence: Permanent ban.

6. Metagaming

• Definition: Using out-of-character knowledge to influence in-character actions.
• First Offence: Education or TX warn.
• Repeated Offence: Temporary ban up to 7 days.

7. Powergaming

• Definition: Forcing actions on others without their consent or engaging in unrealistic roleplay.
• First Offence: Education or TX warn.
• Repeated Offence: Temporary ban up to 7 days.

Moderator Responsibilities

1. Fairness and impartiality

• Consistent Enforcement: Moderators must enforce the rules consistently and fairly, without favouritism or bias.
• Unbiased Decision-Making: Moderators should base their decisions on evidence and server guidelines, avoiding personal biases.

2. Confidentiality

• Privacy Protection: Moderators must maintain confidentiality regarding reports, investigations, and disciplinary actions to protect the privacy of all parties involved.
• Secure Information Handling: Ensure that all information related to reports and investigations is stored securely and accessed only by authorised personnel.

3. Professionalism

• Positive Example: Moderators should act professionally and set a positive example for the community through their actions and behaviour.
• Calm and Composed: Handle all situations calmly and composedly, even when dealing with difficult players or stressful situations.

4. Communication and transparency

• Clear Communication: Clearly communicate decisions and the reasons behind them to the involved parties.
• Transparency in Actions: Whenever possible, provide transparency in the moderation process to maintain community trust.

5. Availability and responsiveness

• Active Presence: Moderators should maintain an active presence on the server and be available to assist players and address issues as they arise.
• Timely Response: Respond to reports, appeals, and player inquiries in a timely manner to ensure a smooth and responsive moderation process.

Community Involvement

1. Feedback and suggestions

• Open Communication: We encourage players to provide feedback and suggestions to help improve the server. Use the designated channels for submitting feedback and suggestions.
• Regular Reviews: The moderation team will regularly review feedback and consider changes to improve the community.

2. Events and activities

• Community Engagement: Participate in community events and activities to foster a sense of community and enhance the role-playing experience.
• Event Organisation: Moderators should help organise and promote community events to encourage participation and engagement.

Escalation

To maintain a fair and consistent approach to rule enforcement, LSMRP follows a structured escalation policy for handling infractions. The goal is to educate and correct behaviour before resorting to more severe penalties. Below is the step-by-step process for escalating disciplinary actions

1. Education

• Objective: To inform and educate players about the rules and proper conduct.
• Methods:
• Discussion with a moderator to explain the infraction.
• Referral to server documentation and guidelines.
• Clarification of the consequences of future infractions.
• Application: Used for minor infractions or first-time offences

2. Kick

• Objective: To provide an immediate but temporary consequence for disruptive behaviour.
• Methods:
• Kicking the player from the server.
• Brief explanation of the reason for the kick.
• Application: Used for immediate disruptions that need quick resolution but are not severe enough for a formal warning or ban.

3. TX Warn (official warn)

• Objective: To issue an official warning that is recorded on the player’s record.
• Methods:
• Issuing a TX warn through TX admin.
• Detailed explanation of the infraction and the warning
• Documentation of the warn on the player’s record.
• Application: Used for repeated minor infractions or more serious single offences.

4. Temporary ban

• Objective: To impose a temporary suspension from the server as a consequence of serious or repeated rule violations.
• Methods:
• Issuing a temporary ban with a specified duration (ranging from 2 hours to 30 days).
• Explanation of the reason for the ban and its duration.
• Documentation of the ban in the player’s record..
• pplication: Used for serious violations or after a TX warn.

5. Permanent ban

• Objective: To permanently remove a player from the server due to extreme or repeated infractions.
• Methods:
• Issuing a permanent ban.
• Detailed explanation of the reason for the ban.
• Documentation of the ban in the player’s record.
• Application: Used for extreme cases such as cheating, hacking, severe VDM/RDM, or after multiple temporary bans.

Guidelines for escalation

• Consistency: Ensure that the escalation process is applied consistently across all players.
• Fairness: Consider the context and severity of the infraction when determining the appropriate level of escalation.
• Documentation: Keep detailed records of all actions taken, including educations, kicks, TX warns, and bans.
• Transparency: Communicate clearly with the involved player about the reasons for each action and the steps they can take to appeal or rectify the situation.

Updated: 22/01/2025