Rules and Regulations

Compiled and Revised by Ogami, 12/08/2010
Updated 01/14/2012



All members of the Shades are expected to carry themselves with dignity, honor, and respect. Those who do not may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the guild. 


However, our first priority is game play, and Fun. We are not about punishment first, and if we can change a behavior without a harsh consequence, then that is preferred. But make no mistake, the leniency of the Officers and of the High Chieftain himself does have limits, so any player who finds themselves getting disciplined beyond a simple verbal warning has done so of their own accord.


Now, before we get started, I'd like to open with 3 guidelines that will protect you from any sort of disciplinary action or trouble, both within the guild and without. It's really the simplest thing in the world:

1. Play The Game: Just play, man. No need to cheat, or hack, or steal. Just play.
2. Be Nice: Be nice to everyone, even the jerks. Don't be part of the problem. There are plenty of players out there who will appreciate your coolness, so be cool. It will take you farther than you'd think.
3. Have Fun!: This is the most important. It's is a game, remember? It's supposed to be fun! If you find yourself angry or annoyed, or overly competitive, or stressed, then maybe it's time for a break. When you're enjoying yourself, your far less likely to have a string of racist expletives fly out of your butt, and therefore, less likely to get in any kind of trouble.

 If you follow these basic guidelines, I promise you will never see nor hear of any report against you, and shouldn't have any problems.  


For those of you who'd like a bit more detail, then read on, you troublemakers!


There are 3 levels of discipline:  

1. Warning: This is the lightest and most common form of discipline. It can be in Guild Chat or private tell. It may be a one time warning or part of a line of several, depending on the behavior. Officers giving warnings should take this opportunity to Educate the shinobi on the violation, and use the guild website as reference. Most often, players who offend do so out of ignorance, not out of malice or disrespect. Officers who give the warning should leave a "w" followed by a number or "ed" for education.
2. Action:  This step can involve anything from docking Rp and RDP, to direct demotion.  The most severe Action aside from Expulsion is demotion to Peon.  Peons have the least guild privileges, cannot talk in Guild Chat, and will also be banned, most likely temporarily, from Vent.  Players who fail to follow the words of the Officers, or who despite verbal warnings continue to ignore the rules of the guild will be subject to Disciplinary Action.
3. Expulsion: This is the last and final penalty. Obviously, it explains itself. Expulsions usually require the consent of the majority of Officers. Characters who are Expelled are usually added to our Blacklist, and can be considered Banished as well. There will be a special thread on the Guild Blog for those added to the Blacklist. 

With all that explained, the following is a list of Violations and their respective Penalties. The membership will be expected to be familiar with these rules, as the Officers will not hesitate to enforce them.


Note that the penalty progressions are strict guidelines, but still guidelines. Officers are to use their best judgment regarding what is proper, depending on the circumstance. If there is doubt, Officers will confer with other Officers. Also note that the progression applies only to full fledged members. 


Scout Penalties: Scouts who violate the rules may be treated with much harsher discipline than their guilded peers. Again, Officers are to use their best judgment as to when to be firm or lenient, as most Scouts are still learning our ways, and may benefit more from information.  However, there are cases where an Scout may not accept their place nor our rules.  Discipline for such Scouts follow a 3 strikes rule:  

• Strike 1: Warning.  
• Strike 2: 24 hour demotion to Peon, and loss of all Guild Rp.  
• Strike 3: Expulsion

And finally, in addition to the Penalties listed above, you will notice some penalties show loss of Rep, RDP, and Rank. Please note that these penalties run concurrent to each other, meaning that they do not cancel each other out. So if a penalty calls for -1 Rank and -10 Rep, and the loss of rep makes that character ineligible for their current rank, then they will be demoted, and then demoted again, as called for by the penalty.


*A Note on Account Sharing:  Please understand that you and you alone are responsible for the security of your account and your character.  If you allow friends or family members to play your character, you will be held responsible for any violations they wittingly or unwittingly commit. 



And now, a list of violations and their penalties: 


Spamming: This is not Trade Chat. This is Guild Chat. Members who can't tell the difference will be punished.  

• First Offense: Verbal Warning.
• 2nd Offense: Demotion to Peon 24hrs, -5 Rp. 
• 3rd Offense: Demotion to Peon 48hrs, -1 Rank. 
• 4th Offense: Expulsion. 

Begging: How pathetic. Warriors of the Red Sun do not beg! This covers repeatedly asking for money and/or runthroughs, either in Guild Chat or through whispers. The key word here is Repeatedly. It's ok to ask, but not to beg.

• 1st Offense: Verbal Warning. 
• 2nd Offense: Verbal Warning. 
• 3rd Offense: 3 Hour Peon, -5 Rp. 
• 4th Offense: 24 Hour Peon, loss of all Guild Rep/RDP. 
• 5th Offense: Expulsion. 

Language: This includes vulgar, rude, racist, or otherwise inappropriate language in Guild Chat and in Vent. There are different levels of vulgarity, and penalties can vary depending on the severity. Again, the rule of thumb is; If you can't tell the difference between Guild Chat and Trade Chat, you will be punished.  For any language that involves RL racism, sexism, homophobia, rape, or violence against children, punishment will start immediately as if it were the 3rd Offense.

• 1st Offense: Verbal Warning.
• 2nd Offense: Verbal Warning, -5 Rp.
• 3rd Offense: 24 Hour Peon, -10 Rp. 
• 4th Offense: 48 Hour Peon, -1 Rank, -10 Rp. 
• 5th Offense: Expulsion. 

*A Note on swearing in vent:  Obviously in this game emotions can run high, and a verbal curse is much easier than opening up a chat line and typing one.  Therefore, to avoid accidental Vent cursing, be sure to bind a hotkey to activate your mic.  Having to 'Push to Talk' will ensure that when your voice is heard on Vent, it's on purpose!




Harassment: Any dishonorable and/or disrespectful language or behavior that is directed at a single player or group of players within the guild is severely frowned upon. This can include propositioning female characters for strip shows or more, hazing lower ranked members, following characters and "stealing" harvest nodes or kills, or any other similarly stupid behavior. 

• 1st Offense: Warning.
• 2nd Offense: 1 Hour Peon 
• 3rd Offense: 6 Hour Peon, -5 Rp. 
• 4th Offense: 24 Hour Peon, -5 Rp. 
• 5th Offense: 48 Hour Peon, -10 Rp. 
• 6th Offense: Expulsion.

*Note:  If the offender attempts to bypass being /ignored by the character, either through alts or friends, and/or if their behavior ultimately results in the loss of that Guildmate, then the penalty is immediate Expulsion!


Insubordination: Giving Grief, Flack, Backtalk, or anything along those lines to an Officer enforcing the rules. This does NOT include asking questions. If you are confused as to why you're being disciplined, ask, and keep the conversation civil. But as soon as you get all eThug, down comes the eHammer.  

• 1st Offense: 48 Hour Peon, -10 Rp, -1 Rank.
• 2nd Offense: Expulsion. 

Guild Theft: This involves taking items from the Guild Bank to sell on the AH or give to non-guild alts. The Bank items are there for you to use. Taking items to sell off or give to characters outside of the guild require explicit authorization from an Officer or the Hokage. Otherwise, it is considered theft, and the consequence, dire. Remember, stealing from the Bank is stealing from every player in the guild. This is not acceptable. 

• 1st Offense: Demotion to Peon, -10 Rp. Characters will have 24 Hours to either return items or the equivalent value in gold, and gain back 5 Rp. Otherwise, they will be placed on 12 hour Peon.
• 2nd Offense: 48 Hour Peon. -20 Rp. 
• 3rd Offense: Expulsion. 

Abandonment: Also known as Bailing, this is prematurely abandoning a Raid or Instance group without expressed or reasonable justification. 
This does NOT mean that everyone MUST stay for the entire instance no matter what. There are many reasons to leave a group:  

• RL issues: This is a big one. Dinner, family, homework, wife/gf aggro, believe me, we understand.
• Group Leader or members of party/raid being Douchebags: There is no reason to play with or remain in a group if one or more of them are being jerks. Fun is more important than loot, despite what all the "leets" say. Don't get saved to an instance with a jackass. 
• You D/C. It happens, and we can all see it. 

If, for what ever reason you need to leave, please let the group know. Even better, try to get a replacement. Hit up your guild mates and friends and see if someone can fill in. Do everything you can to not destroy the group simply because:

• You didn't get the drop you wanted. 
• You DID get the drop you wanted, and there's no other treasure you need. 
• You lost an important Need roll. 
• Party members not "following the marks" or maintaining 3k+ dps against trash. 
• Eh, don't feel like it anymore. 

This is a partial list. Bottom line, don't abandon your group without notice or reasonable justification. If you must leave, let someone know. Doing this in pugs means you may not be invited again, but doing this to a Guild Group is unacceptable.

• 1st Offense: Warning, -5 Rp. 
• 2nd Offense: 24 Hour Peon, -1 Rank, -10 Rp. 
• 3rd Offense: 48 Hour Peon. Demotion to Scout, and loss of all Rp. 
• 4th Offense: Expulsion. 

*Note: In the event that a low level character bails without notice or reason on a high level character, either before or during a runthrough, the 1st Offense penalty will be skipped, and the deserter will be punished as though it was the 2nd Offense.


Ninja Looting: We may be shinobi, but we are not ninjas. In game, Shinobi still means "Shadow Warrior," but Ninja has a far worse connotation. Ninja Looting does not only affect one party or raid, nor does it sully one character's reputation. It dishonors the entire Guild, and casts an extremely unfavorable and persistent stigma on all of us. Anyone who sets loot rules in the beginning of a run and in a moment of greed screws 4-24 other players has no place in this guild.


That being said, unfortunately there is a lot of confusion as to what actually constitutes ninja looting. With players having the ability to trade BoP's among themselves, this sort of thing should happen less, and is even less acceptable. There is no more, "oh sorry, I d/c'd blahblahblah."  


So, for the sake of clarification, penalties for Ninja Looting will only be considered if:  

1. The Loot Master, despite of established loot rules, disregards or disallows the standard Loot rolls and takes the item for him/herself, or a friend, or even a Guildmate.  Obviously, a ML who takes an item for him/herself is easy to spot. The greater difficulty is if You happen to be the recipient of this. You might be their friend and guildmate, and the drop may be Epic. But if neither of you do the right thing, then you will share the punishment.  
2. In the case of a misloot, either by Need roll or Loot Master mistake, the recipient refuses to trade the item to the proper owner within the 2 hour window.  Mistaken Need rolls happen, especially if you're a mage rolling on a piece of plate, for example. Be cool and give it to the proper owner.  Master Looter mistakes happen. Even if it's an item for your spec and something you've wanted forever, if you did not win, then do the right thing. Having other players invite you back for future raids, which means future loot, is far more important than whatever the hell you just got. This does not mean you can't bargain. Offer payment or trade, if you can, and if it's accepted, then great. But if there is no bargain, then Do the Right Thing. 
3. Loot and Log, and subsequent refusal to trade the item to the proper winner.  Thanks to the player BoP feature, Loot and Logging, and claiming a d/c is no longer an acceptable excuse. The 2 hour window counts down In Game Only, so you could be d/c'd a week and still have a 2 hour window. Return the item to the owner and there will be no penalty.  In the event that the 2 hour window expires, you will be given 7 days to petition a GM and request a BoP Switch. The average wait time is 48-72 hours, so there is little time to waste. If after 7 days you fail to get a BoP switch, or at least compensate the person you stole from, then the maximum penalty will be applied. Also, during this period, you may be subject to interim penalties, such as loss of Rep, Rank, and/or Guild Privileges. 
4. Verification: All accounts of Ninja Looting must be verified by at least 3 witnesses. If it is witnessed by an Officer, then no further verification is needed. Otherwise, the minimum 3 witnesses can be guild and non-guild members. 

Penalties: During the interim investigation, the accused player will have their Guild Vault and Chat Privileges restricted through a temporary Demotion to Peon. This probation will last as long as it takes to gather all the accounts necessary for the Officer(s) to make an informed decision.


If the incident cannot be fully verified, then the accused will be reinstated to their full rank, and educated on how to avoid such a misunderstanding in the future. 


Avoiding a Looting Dispute is fairly simple: 

1. Set the Loot Rules at the beginning of the Raid! Be sure to be specific if there are certain high demand items, like a mount, that most players would be gunning for. 
2. IF you want certain items reserved for you or your friends/guildmates, then INFORM EVERYONE of your intentions. Even though it might be cheesy, if you state explicitly that, as Loot Master, you're here for a Black War Mammoth, for example, and everyone agrees to stay in the Raid, then it is not stealing. 
3. If you are NOT the Master Looter, then ask whoever is what the loot rules are. Getting them to establish loot rules, particularly regarding desired rare drops, forces them to either follow their own rules, or be seen as a blatant, obvious Ninja if they don't. 
4. Once the rules are set, Follow Them! 

If the incident is verified, then the penalty is immediate Expulsion. In addition to getting blacklisted, the character will then be added to an Officer's friend list with a note, so even if the Ninja changes their name, it will be known. Also, IF the Ninja was foolish enough to verbally establish Loot Rules and then proceed to break them, then they will also be reported to the Blizzard GM staff. Making a deal and then welching on it is considered a Scam, and is actionable by the Makers!


Crying Wolf: This is calling high level guildmates for help defending a settlement or a major city from Alliance Attack, only to find out that nothing was going on. This is only punishable if it can be verified that there was no attack. 

• 1st Offense: Warning.
• 2nd Offense: Warning. -5 Rp. 
• 3rd Offense: 3 Hour Peon, -10 Rp. 
• 4th Offense: 12 Hour Peon, -20 Rp.
• 5th Offense: Demotion to Peon, loss of all Rp.  
• 6th Offense:  Expulsion.

Sedition: Bashing or talking bad about the guild on a public channel is severely looked down upon. If there is some improvement you'd like to see, then there are civil and constructive ways to get these ideas known. Guild-hating is neither constructive nor tolerated. This also covers advertising recruitment to another guild while a member of this guild. 

• 1st Offense: Warning, -10 Rp.
• 2nd Offense:  24 hour Peon. Loss of all Rp.
• 3rd Offense: Expulsion. 

AWOL: This refers to inactivity. It literally stands for "Absent Without Leave." As the name implies, if you know you may be offline for a while, for whatever reason, (RL reasons are the most common), let an officer know, and you'll be fine. Fail to do this, and you will be considered AWOL, and will be penalized 10 Rp per month Inactive, as illustrated by the following chart: 

• 14 Days Inactive:  -5 Rp
• 1 month Inactive: -10 Rp
• 2 months Inactive:  -20 Rp
• 3 months Inactive:  -30 Rp
• 4 months Inactive:  -40 Rp
• etc.

Furthermore, the penalties will be cumulative, that is, added on top of each other.  Therefore, if a a character was inactive for 2 months, they would be penalized 30 Rp, 10 for the first month (10 x 1 month = 10), and 20 for two months (10 x 2 months =20). 

Loss of Rp can and will result in Loss of Rank.  Scouts who are inactive for 2 months or more will be expelled.  

No Call/No Show: This refers to when we schedule a guild event, such as a Raid or an Officer Meeting, and members fail to show despite having Confirmed their invite. Again, we understand that there are sometimes RL obligations and such. But if you Confirm your invitation, you are expected to show, or at least let someone know if you can't. Otherwise, it's very disrespectful, and in cases of a Raid, it can break the group without a single wipe.

• 1st Offense: Warning.  Suspended from Loot for 1 Raid.
  
• 2nd Offense: -5 Rp; Suspended from Raiding for 1 week
• 3rd Offense: -10 Rp; Suspended from Raiding for 2 weeks
• 4th Offense: -20 Rp; Suspended from Raiding Indefinitely.

Now that you made it this far, I'm sure you will NEVER get in trouble with Anyone, EVER!  That's good!  Now, go play!