Rules for Fair Use - Effective from 3 March 2019

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This thread contains rules of fair use when using Playdiplomacy.com and the Forum.

It DOES NOT contain the site's Rules for Fair Play governing playing games on the games site. These are posted in the accompanying sub-forum which is linked to below.

Fair Use Rules links are also provided to different posts within this thread.

The Rules for Fair Play are based upon the original rules written by Diplomat and it is with acknowledgement to him that they are presented.

INTRODUCTION
The Rules for Fair Play state what rules govern using Playdiplomacy.com, the games site and the Forum. They are in different sections and each section will have its own post:
A. Using the Games Site.
B. User Agreement.
C. Deadlocked Games Procedure.
D. Chatbox.
E. Forum Rules and Guidelines.
F. Reporting Abuse.
G. Dealing with Cyber-bullying.
Addenda.

ETHOS
The driving force behind these rules is the concept of respect. This is a games site; it should be a place where members can play games, whether Dip, its variants or the other games organised on the Forums, without dealing with personal abuse, hatred or inappropriate content. On the other hand this is a games site - and specifically for the game of Diplomacy, which is not necessarily a game built around politeness.

The Rules for Fair Use, therefore, seek to balance an ethos of respect with an acknowledgement of the nature of the game.

The site and its management reserve the right to enforce these rules and sanction any member who breaks them irrespective of whether the individual concerned agrees with or accepts these rules, whatever the status of the member’s account.

HOW MODERATORS REACH THEIR DECISIONS
Whilst the circumstances of any moderator involvement vary Moderators will examine all the evidence available and may contact members to clarify points. Site management are committed to dealing with each issue fairly and impartially. Should they feel that their impartiality is questionable, a Mod will refer the issue to another member of the team. They will also seek a second opinion or consensus amongst the team if they are unsure of what, if any, action needs to be taken.

Moderators and Investigators have been given the freedom to act within certain guidelines. Any decision will be a balanced one, depending upon the circumstances.

Management, Administrators and Moderators reserve the right to edit or remove material from Playdiplomacy.com at their sole discretion, and to take appropriate punitive action if necessary.
Members posting on the site are held responsible for the content posted. Playdiplomacy.com provides the medium and is not responsible for the content.

SITE RULES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MODIFICATION AT ANY TIME.

See also: Rules for Fair Play

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1. Multiple Accounts. Account holders are allowed to operate just one active account at any time, regardless of the reason for creating other accounts.
An active account will be defined as an account that has accessed the site at any time within the past year. Members may create a new account if an existing account has not been used outside this restraint.
Accounts created via the Teachers system are considered official School accounts. Members may open a personal account which is separate to the School account.

2. Changing Username. Account holders may use the site facility to change username within the following rules:
(a) A username can initially be changed at any time.
(b) After a change of username, the name cannot be changed for a period of one year.
(c) Members are not allowed to create new accounts to change their username.

3. Inappropriate Usernames. No username may contain the following:
- Sexually explicit content;
- Racially abusive content;
- Content abusive towards sexuality, sexual orientation or gender;
- Content which is explicitly obscene or profane;
- Content which references illegal acts;
- Content which is widely held to be offensive.
Accounts which feature such content, in the opinion of site management, must change the username.

4. Inappropriate game Names. game names which site management deem to be inappropriate will be changed. This may result in a Moderator contacting the member who set-up the game and taking any appropriate action.
Inappropriate material will include:
- Sexually explicit content
- Racially abusive content
- Content abusive towards sexuality, sexual orientation or gender
- Content which is explicitly profane or obscene
- Content that references illegal acts.
- Content which is widely held to be offensive (in the opinion of site management).

5. False or Temporary Email Addresses. The site’s management requires that account holders use an email address at which they can contacted. Should site management attempt to contact an account holder and, after an appropriate period of time, not receive a response, the account is liable to be disabled.

6. Posting Inappropriate Content in Public Press. Posts made in a game’s Public Press may not feature any of the following content:
- Racism;
- Overtly sexual or sexualised material;
- Content which express hatred towards sexuality, sexual orientation or gender;
- Threats linked to actions off- or on-site;
- Extreme profanity;
- Abusive personal attacks on members of an extreme or defamatory nature;
- Posting other people’s personal information;
- Spamming;
- Advertising;
- Any accusation or discussion of potential cheating by active players in the game;
- 'Flood' Public Press.
Posts which, in the opinion of the site’s management, contain such content, whether in text, images, GIFs or other forms, including links to content which is prohibited, will be removed and appropriate action taken.
NB1: Casual obscenity will not be acted upon – Moderator decision.
NB2: Mild personal abuse will not be acted upon – Moderator decision.
NB3: Content which contains illegal material of a sexual nature or which promotes illegal activities will result in a permanent ban from the site.
NB4: We accept that, occasionally, slow processing may lead to players sending the same post unintentionally. 'Flooding' will therefore be taken to be excessive posting of the same, or similar, messages and 'excessive' will be within the judgement of the investigation moderator.

7. In-game Message Restrictions.
- Members are not allowed to send direct (power-to-power) messages in games repeatedly, ie 'flood' another player's inbox (based on a Mod's assessment)
- Messages should follow the same guidelines as PP, although since they are 'private' Mods will grant more leeway when judging inappropriate content
NOTE: Players should keep in mind when sending in-game messages that they are ALL subject to review by authorized Moderators, subject to the following guidelines:
- In-game messages will only be examined in response to a formal request for investigation from a site member or as a result of an incident being detected by the cheater-hunting AI software
- Mods will not reveal the contents of the in-game messages outside of the Mods team, although excerpts may be used to support any resultant action
- Mods will handle the content with sensitivity and with regard to an individual’s privacy

8. Any other actions which the site’s management deem to be harmful to the site. This includes, but is not limited to, phishing for other account holder’s information or blagging; maliciously impersonating another account holder or site management, hacking another account holder’s account and refusing to agree to or follow the site’s rules.

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When registering on the site, new users accept the following user agreement:

I promise that I will not play more than one account.
I promise I will not communicate in games outside of the game mechanisms.
I promise I will not ally based on who I know in the game.
I promise I will not carry grudges across games.

This thread is to explain these conditions.

I promise that I will not play more than one account.

This is Multiple Accounting or, when the accounts are used in the SAME game, Multi-accounting. It is worth pointing out - because I have had players tell me "I thought it meant only in the same game" - that the site's policy is one site member, one account. This isn't ambiguous in the agreement - players agree to "not play more than one account".

I promise I will not ally based on who I know in the game.

I promise I will not carry grudges across games.

These two are very basic examples of meta-gaming, which is clearly unfair and regarded as cheating on this site. Meta-gaming rules are further explained in Rules for Fair Play, Section A.

I promise I will not communicate in games outside of the game mechanisms.

This is extremely difficult to monitor. It is important, however, that players communicate using the game mechanisms.

Should Moderators or Investigators be looking into a game for possible cheating, we look at the messages sent between the accounts involved. If there are no messages, or if there are very few messages, this WILL be taken as corroborating evidence. Players are EXPECTED to communicate using the in-game mechanisms.

A lack of messages will not be taken as key evidence on its own. However, if there is evidence suggesting probable cheating and messages between the accounts cannot be used to discount cheating – because there is a lack of messages – this will add to the evidence already seen.

Whilst we cannot monitor communication outside of the game, WE WILL USE A LACK OF MESSAGES INSIDE THE game AS CORROBORATING EVIDENCE.

Which games does this agreement apply to?
Friends and Schools games are not routinely investigated for cheating unless they are connected to an investigation involving other games. We anticipate players in Friends and Schools games will see each other outside the game and may communicate outside the game! Players ARE expected to play by the Rules for Fair Play and the agreement in all Ranked and No Rank games.
(See: game Categories under RULES FOR FAIR PLAY.)

What does this mean for Live games?
We recognise that a number of Live games may use the site’s associated Chat Box tab for communications. If this is the case, and a Live game is investigated, this will be taken into account.

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Definition of a Deadlocked game.
A game reaches a deadlock when the players cannot end the game (a solo is effectively blocked permanently and draw proposals are not being accepted) and the situation in the game isn't going to change. The game may or may not be truly in stalemate. A deadlock is when players refuse to end the game.

Criteria for a Deadlock.
1. The game must be a Ranked or No Rank game and must not be a short-handed game.
2. The game must have been deadlocked for at least 3 game years. To qualify, within the last 3 years:
- there has been no change in alliance structure;
- there has been no change in SC ownership across opposing factions;
- at least 2 draw proposals including all surviving players, whether the game is set-up as a DIAS game or not, have been unsuccessful, and
- there is evidence that negotiations to end the game have been seriously tried and failed (NOT APPLICABLE IN GUNBOAT GAMES).
3. There are no live DIAS draw proposals in place.

Process for Referring a Deadlocked game.
1. Referrals must be by Private Message only.
2. Players must provide the game name and number.
3. Players must show that EACH criterion above has been met.

Moderator Procedure.
A. Initial Assessment.
The investigating Mod will check that all the criteria have been met.
1. If the criteria is not met the Mod will reply to the player who referred the game explaining why no action will be taken. The explanation will refer to only the criteria above. No reference will be made to content of messages. The game cannot be referred again by that player for another three game years.
2. If the criteria is met, the Mod will post in the games Public Press advising that the criteria for a deadlock have been met and inviting players to give their opinion on the game being deadlocked by PM. Opinions must be given and received within one whole game year and the Mod will give the date before which opinions must be given.

B. Second Assessment.
After the deadline given in (A.2) above, the Mod will:
1. Review the game in light of any discussion between the Mod and any players from the game.
2. Check for live draw proposals.
If the Mod feels the game is NOT deadlocked as a result of (B.1), this will be posted in Public Press and the game will continue. The game cannot be referred again for another 3 years.
If a Live draw proposal is in place, the Mod will allow the game to proceed until THAT proposal has passed. This will be posted in Public Press. If the proposal is not accepted, no subsequent proposals will prevent the Mod ending the game.
If the Mod feels the game is still deadlocked, the game will be ended.
NB: It should be noted that, if a game is referred for the DPG a second time, following a Mod allowing a game to continue due to reasons for the game NOT being deadlocked, the arguments given for why a game is not deadlocked will need to be very persuasive. The likelihood is that a second referral, where the criteria have been met on both occasions, is likely to result in the game being ended.

End game Procedure.
1. The Mod will force the game to end.
2. The game will be ended with a DIAS draw featuring all survivors.
3. If the game was a Ranked game, it will remain a Ranked game.

See a full explanation for the DPG.

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These rules refer to the site Chatbox.

1. Do not use extreme obscene or profane language (swearing, cursing, whatever you want to call it).

2. Do not use language which refers to sexual acts.

3. Do not use language or content which is racially abusive or abusive towards sexuality, sexual orientation or gender.

4. Do not explicitly refer to acts which are considered illegal in many jurisdictions.

5. Do not threaten, bully or abuse other members.

6. Do not use the Chatbox to comment on active games.

7. Do not use the Chatbox to accuse members of cheating, to report possible cheating or report possible bugs. Go to the Forum for that.

8. Do not post other people's personal information. (And it makes sense not to post your own!)

9. Do not spam, troll or flame in Chatbox. All advertising is banned.

10. Do not use Chatbox to complain about members, or about decisions or actions taken by site management.

Breaking these rules will mean you will have access to Chatbox removed. Continually doing so will result in you being removed from the site.

NOTE (April 2018 Update - Dipsy)
Just to add some clarity, the key in the above rules is that the Chatbox is in the most publicly visible place on the site. Needless to say, that means you have to be extra careful what you say there. We have a reputation as a friendly and relatively 'safe' site. Mods will try to maintain the standard, but they are under directions from me to kill chatbox access for offenders pretty damn quick for these reasons. Don't be silly about it - you know the rules. If you want to communicate outside of these rules, you can always use Private Messagess which have more leeway although of course there is still a standard against things like cyberbullying etc

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The Forum is a place for discussion, debate and banter which is open to all to take part in. The community we have here is great. There’s wit, wisdom and a wealth of worthwhile words. If you’re new to the site or new to the Forum, or even if you’ve been here for a while, have a browse through it – maybe the places you don’t normally go – and enjoy it.

Forum Moderation
Moderators will act only when they feel it is necessary. In this the guiding principles are enjoyment, respect, tolerance and community protection.
Enjoyment: Every member should be able to enjoy their time on site and in the Forum and we aim to make this a positive experience for everyone.
Respect: The views and practices of every member should be respected. By all means, disagree, but don't be personally abusive.
Tolerance There are times when members will post something with which you strongly disagree. Members are expected to be tolerant of opinions and, when responding, not to resort to abuse.
Community protection: It follows that members of the Forum community should feel that they are protected from personal abuse in the Forum. However, Mods may take the view that posts which one member feels are offensive may not be offensive in general and protecting the community also means protecting the integrity of Forum debate.

As such we have come up with some guidelines on Forum “etiquette” which we encourage everyone to follow.

General Posting
When responding to a thread posts should be “on topic”. There is always room for witticism, of course, but posts that bear no relation to the topic are likely to be removed. The following is a list of examples of types of posts that may lead to moderator action:
(a) Spam has a number of forms. Here it is taken to include posts that are generally meaningless in the context of the thread and posts which deliberately take a thread away from the stated topic in order to promote a personal agenda. Posts deemed as spam will be removed.
(b) Raising post count. Members should not simply post to raise their post count. Posts such as these are likely to removed.
(c) Antagonistic posts (trolling/flaming) will be removed. These are posts which moderators feel have been made deliberately to evoke a reaction with no other valid reason.
(d) Advertising is not allowed without the prior agreement of site management. Whether the advertising is for another Diplomacy site, another game site or other products, posts deemed to be adverts will be deleted and may earn the poster a permanent ban from the site.
(e) Duplicate posts/threads: Members should avoid duplicating a post; this includes duplicating a post in different threads. Should you do so unintentionally please delete the post or contact a Mod. Duplicate threads are subject to being merged, closed or deleted.
(f) Multiple accounts are not allowed on the Forum (as well as the games site). Should there be a need for a second account please seek permission from Admin; at present permission is ONLY considered for game-playing purposes in 'Other Forum Games' and only when those games require/would benefit from anonymity. Any authorised secondary account must only be used in the permitted sub-forum; if members inadvertently post elsewhere on the Forum with an authorised secondary account, they should contact a Mod. Using any secondary account on the Forum without permission is likely to lead to a Forum ban; any deliberate misuse of a permitted secondary account will lead to that account being deactivated and may lead to further action against the primary account.
(g) Profanity is not banned as we view the Forum as adult in context. However, posts which use excessive profanity will be subject to editing or deletion.
(h) 'Mature content' in graphic form (videos, images, gifs, etc) or links are subject to removal. In some circumstances game threads (for instance, in Other Forum Games) may contain material which may cause offence to some members; best practice for this is to advise members of the content.
(i) Private Messages (PMs). Privates Messages are just that - private. Members should deal with issues raised in PMs themselves and do so privately. Disputes in PMs should not be brought to the Forum in general.

Abuse
(a) Personal Abuse
- A post which contains only abusive or derogatory content will be removed.
- A post which is on-topic but also contains personal abuse will have the abusive content removed.
- Defamatory posts will be removed.
(b) Collective Abuse
This is when a group within society or the site community is abused.
- A post which contains only abusive or derogatory content will be removed.
- A post which is on-topic but also contains abusive or derogatory content which is out of context or unnecessary will have the abusive content removed.
- Any derogatory terms or labels will be removed, regardless of context.
- Defamatory posts will be removed.
(c) Opinion vs Abuse
Moderators will strive to differentiate between comments which are an opinion about the beliefs, thinking, actions, practices, etc of groups and derogatory comments about members of a group.
Example (with apologies for the inanity of the example):
'The moderation of this forum is pathetic' is an acceptable comment, when given in context. It will not be removed unless that is the sole content of a post.
'The moderators of this forum are pathetic' is an unacceptable comment. It is derogatory, whether given in context or not.
The former is a on the philosophy, actions, etc of the moderators; the latter is an abusive attack on the moderators as people.

Community action
If members of the community believe a post has broken these guidelines, they can:
(i) PM the poster, expressing their concern/opinion. It may be that the poster will be able to explain the context of the post to the satisfaction of the concerned member, edit the post or delete the post.
(ii) Report the post using the Forum system. This logs the report in the Moderator Control Panel and will receive the attention of a Mod. Members can give a reason as to why they feel the post requires moderation.
(iii) PM the SITE HELP! group. This is not needed if a post is reported but may draw a Mod's attention more quickly to the post.

Moderator action
In deciding whether to act, Mods will take as objective a view as possible.
There are a number of actions that Mods may take if they think a post may contravene these guidelines:
(i) Contact the poster and ask for a review of the post. It is always preferable for members to review and edit posts themselves rather than Mods doing so.
(ii) Remove the post or parts within the post if the Mod feels the post is in need of moderation. This may lead to subsequent posts being carefully edited.
(iii) Issue a warning to the poster. Generally, warnings will be issued before further action is necessary. Warnings are issued on the Mod's discretion.
(iv) Ban a user from the Forum. Generally this will normally follow one or more warnings, although advertising will result in a permanent ban from the Forum and games site. Bans may range from a matter of hours to a permanent ban.
NB: this is NOT a hierarchy of actions. Mods will act as they feel is appropriate and a Mod's decision is final.

Section Specific Guidelines
Some forums have specific rules/guidelines attached to them.

Debates section
This is the place where some quite heavy and often personal discussions take place (as well as some lighter ones). As such, opinions expressed may be strong and personal, and therefore threads may include material which may lead to members’ opinions, beliefs, etc being strongly challenged. As such, members should be aware that in some circumstances Moderators will have a higher level of tolerance in this section than in most others. However, the general guidelines still stand. Spamming and advertising will be subject to the same degree of monitoring; personal abuse is not allowed; posts which are purely provocative in nature may be removed.

Where greater tolerance is exercised is in the area of what may be termed personal opinion. In this section players are encouraged to express a personal opinion. This may lead to some members feeling offended. If so, then there are a number of courses of action; amongst others a member might:
- Stop reading the thread;
- State your case, explaining your own point of view;
- Report the post(s).
The latter, of course, is always an option. BUT please consider the context of the post and discussion. Moderators will act on their own discretion. If a post is felt to be generally abusive, rather than stating a personal opinion, action may be taken.

In general
Before reporting a post which you feel requires moderation:
Anonymity
Members are encouraged to do all they can to maintain anonymity in games which are anonymous. This includes posting on the Forum. If you feel there may be a bug, or there may be cheating going on, PM the appropriate group rather than post in the respective sections of the Forum.
Taking offence
Please consider why you are offended. Mods are not going to act just because a member is offended at another member's opinions or viewpoint. The post will need to be demonstrably offensive, either personally or collectively (see above), rather than simply because a member is offended by it. Posts which express an opinion in context, which are on-topic and which are acceptable within a general area of relevance are unlikely to be moderated. Posts which offend an individual may not be seen as intrinsically or generally offensive.

Management, Administrators and Moderators reserve the right to edit or remove material from the Forum at their sole discretion, and to take appropriate punitive action.
Management reserve the right to update and alter these guidelines at any time.
Members posting in the Forum are held responsible for the content posted. PlayDiplomacy.com provides the medium and is not responsible for the content.

See: Site Rules for Playing Games on the Forum.

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There are different places a member might be the target of abuse: Power-to-power messages in games, Public Press in games, on the open Forum and via Private Message.

Two of these are considered by site management as being in a public format - Public Press messages and on the Forum - and two as being in a private format - power-to-power messages and PMs.

When dealing with a report of abuse, the general principle is that:
If the message is in a public format, such as a Public Press post or a Forum post, management will consider moderation; if the message is in private format, such as an in-game, power-to-power message or a Private Message (PM) on the Forum, management will not normally consider action.

Reporting Public Press
This should be reported using the Report Inappropriate button in the Public Press box (there is no need to post anywhere else). Moderators may act if the reported press contravenes the site's rules (see Rules for Fair Use, Section A, Rule 6).

Reporting a Forum post
This should be reported using the Report This Post button within the post (an inverted triangle with an exclamation mark ! inside). Moderators may act if the reported thread or post contravenes the Forum Rules and Guidelines.

Private communications - Power-to-Power messages and PMs
These will ONLY be considered for action if:
(a) The Moderator feels that the content may be classed as cyber-bullying as recognised by the site (see Dealing with Cyber-bullying).
(b) The Moderator feels the content:
- Is extremely abusive or aggressive and out of context (ie not posted in response to aggressive or abusive messages),
- Is defamatory and of a serious nature, and
- Can be considered to be illegal.
NB: Any decision on action will be based on the opinion of the moderator. Messages will not be acted upon because they cause offence alone.
(c) The content includes information that might be considered as evidence of cheating, when it will be investigated if appropriate. This should ideally be reported in the Cheater's Forum.

Private communications which DON'T match these criteria should therefore be dealt with privately. The member who received the message may deal with it in any way s/he feels is appropriate, within site rules.

Should members feel it is appropriate to report this, they can contact the SITE HELP! or Cheater-hunters groups via PM.

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Issues to be Addressed.
1. Inappropriate content used publicly in games, both in game names or Public Press.
2. Inappropriate language contained in usernames.
3. Threats referring to off-site action, whether physical threats or cyber-bullying, in any format, inappropriate content, and/or any actual activity off-site which is directly linked to games/events on-site.
Because abuse and cyber-bullying can potentially also happen on the Forum as well as in games, it also links to content on the Forum. These guidelines are already in place and the link will be provided at the end.

1. Inappropriate content in games.
(a) game Names. If the name of a game breaks the above guidelines and is brought to a Moderator’s attention it will be changed. Players should PM a Mod via the Forum to report this. The Mod will assess the content and take any action needed. (See Using the game Site, Rule 4.)

(b) Public Press posts. Any posts – written, image, gif, video or links to sites which contain inappropriate – should be brought to a Mod’s attention using the Report Inappropriate button in the game’s Public Press box. The Mod will assess the content and take any appropriate action.
It should be noted that posting anonymously does not prevent Mods from identifying the poster. (See Using the game Site, Rule 6.)

2. Inappropriate usernames.
Should a site member feel a username is inappropriate, s/he should PM a Mod with the details. The Mod will then assess the case and act accordingly. The account holder will be contacted by email and asked to change the username or provide an alternative name that the Mod can use to change the username.
If you feel your username may break the site guidelines, change it yourself or contact a Mod and ask for the username to be changed.
(See Using the game Site, Rule 3.)

3. Off-site threats/action and cyber-bullying.
Most people understand that Diplomacy is a game and are able to separate their feelings, however strong, from other areas of their life. Unfortunately, some people are not as adept at doing this and this may result in threats of physical action in real life, threats of cyber-bullying or even take action.

Should a player be subjected to:
- extremely abusive messages,
- threats of physical abuse,
- sexual harrasment,
- threats of cyber-bullying, or
- actions off-site which are directly linked to events on-site
and that player has real concerns (rather than simply believing it to be a joke or "hot air", for instance) it should be reported to a Moderator by PM. The Mod will investigate and take action if there is persuasive evidence.

In the case of threats made or action taken off-site, persuasive evidence may be difficult to find, but the Mod will still do as much as possible, using the site's tools, to investigate. If persuasive evidence cannot be found, then the Mod will contact the complainant and discuss the way forward.

Any action the complainant wishes to take off-site is the complainant's responsibility. Should this result in legal proceedings the site will cooperate only with competent jurisdictions as required. Any requests for information must be made via direct contact with the site owner.

Guidelines on whether to report.
Before reporting any of the above, it is suggested that you consider the reasons for reporting it. For instance, is the content inappropriate or simply not to your taste? If you are offended by a post, is it because it is personally abusive or because you disagree? Is the threat you have received real or simply made to throw you off the game? If a player feels strongly enough to report any of the above, though, s/he should report it. Moderators will treat all reports seriously.

Decisions and Appeals.
In all of the above, the Moderator’s decision, following an investigation, is final. If you disagree with a decision you can, of course, appeal. Contact should be made with the Moderator using the same method with which you were contacted, either by PM or email. Mods will treat respectful communication with equal respect; abuse or threats will not be responded to and will be passed along. If a Mod feels it is necessary the case may be passed onto an Administrator or other members of the team. After discussion, if agreement cannot be reached, then the case will be passed to the site owner.

Management, Administrators and Moderators reserve the right to edit or remove material from Playdiplomacy.com at their sole discretion, and to take appropriate punitive action if necessary.
Members posting on the site are held responsible for the content posted. Playdiplomacy.com provides the medium and is not responsible for the content.

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Any additions or changes to the above rules will be placed in this post, with the date from which the modification is effective.

30 December, 2015
Section A. USING THE GAMES SITE[/b]
Addition to rule 6. Posting Inappropriate Content in Public Press. Posts made in a game’s Public Press may not feature any of the following content:
- 'Flood' Public Press.
NB4: We accept that, occasionally, slow processing may lead to players sending the same post unintentionally. 'Flooding' will therefore be taken to be excessive posting of the same, or similar, messages and 'excessive' will be within the judgement of the investigation moderator.

Rule 8 ADDED.
8. In-game Message Restrictions. Members are not allowed to send direct (power-to-power) messages in games repeatedly, ie 'flood' another player's inbox.
NB: We accept that, occasionally, slow processing may lead to players sending the same message unintentionally. 'Flooding' will therefore be taken to be excessive posting of the same, or similar, messages and 'excessive' will be within the judgement of the investigation moderator.

28 April, 2015
Section C. DEADLOCKED game PROCEDURE
Items changed:
A.

Criteria for a Deadlock.
1. The game must be a Ranked or No Rank game and must not be a short-handed game.
2. No more than half the number of players that started the game are still active, rounded-up. In other words, for the standard game the maximum number of players in the game for it to be considered under the DGP is four; in Ancient Mediterranean it's 3.
3. The game must feature a potential soloist and an alliance of all other powers preventing the solo.
4. The game must have been deadlocked for at least 3 game years. To qualify, within the last 3 years:
- there has been no change in alliance structure;
- there has been no change in SC ownership across opposing factions;
- at least 2 draw proposals including all surviving players, whether the game is set-up as a DIAS game or not, have been unsuccessful, and
- there is evidence that negotiations to end the game have been seriously tried and failed (NOT APPLICABLE IN GUNBOAT GAMES).
5. There are no live draw proposals in place.

Criteria 2 & 3 removed. Other Criteria re-numbered:
Criteria for a Deadlock.
1. The game must be a Ranked or No Rank game and must not be a short-handed game.
2. The game must have been deadlocked for at least 3 game years. To qualify, within the last 3 years:
- there has been no change in alliance structure;
- there has been no change in SC ownership across opposing factions;
- at least 2 draw proposals including all surviving players, whether the game is set-up as a DIAS game or not, have been unsuccessful, and
- there is evidence that negotiations to end the game have been seriously tried and failed (NOT APPLICABLE IN GUNBOAT GAMES).
3. There are no live draw proposals in place. [Result of this poll.]

B.

Moderator Procedure.
A. Initial Assessment.
1. The investigating Mod will check that all the criteria have been met.
2. Additionally, the Mod will evaluate whether any movement of units in non-SC spaces within the last game year has any potential to alter the deadlocked status of the game. This will include:
- An advantage gained by one faction over another by a movement that potentially allows the deadlock to be broken.
- A movement which may allow an SC to be captured, assuming the continuance of the alliance structure.

If the criteria is not met or the deadlock has the potential to be broken the Mod will reply to the player who referred the game explaining why no action will be taken. The explanation will refer to only the criteria above or the Mod's evaluation of the game over the last year. No reference will be made to content of messages. The game cannot be referred again for another three game years.

B. Initial Action.
If the Mod decides that the game is deadlocked:
1. A post will be placed in Public Press informing the players that the game will be ended after 1 game year if it cannot be ended in any other way.
2. The Mod will also post an invitation for any active player in the game to discuss the game situation. This discussion will take place by PM. The player must ONLY discuss why the player thinks the game is not deadlocked. No discussion will be held over the Procedure for ending the game or the rights or wrongs of the Procedure itself. The discussion will last only until the deadline set by the Mod has passed.

C. Second Assessment.
After the deadline given in (B.1) above, the Mod will:
1. Review the game in light of any discussion between the Mod and any player in the game.
2. Review the position on the board.
3. Check for live draw proposals.
If the Mod feels the game is NOT deadlocked as a result of (C.1) and (C.2), this will be posted in Public Press and the game will continue. The game cannot be referred again for another 3 years.
If a Live draw proposal is in place, the Mod will allow the game to proceed until THAT proposal has passed. This will be posted in Public Press. If the proposal is not accepted, no subsequent proposals will prevent the Mod ending the game.
If the Mod feels the game is still deadlocked, the game will be ended.

Initial Assessment & Initial Action replaced. Second Assessment updated.

Moderator Procedure.
A. Initial Assessment.
The investigating Mod will check that all the criteria have been met.
1. If the criteria is not met the Mod will reply to the player who referred the game explaining why no action will be taken. The explanation will refer to only the criteria above. No reference will be made to content of messages. The game cannot be referred again for another three game years.
2. If the criteria is met, the Mod will post in the games Public Press advising that the criteria for a deadlock have been met and inviting players to give their opinion on the game being deadlocked by PM. Opinions must be given and received within one whole game year and the Mod will give the date before which opinions must be given.

B. Second Assessment.
After the deadline given in (A.2) above, the Mod will:
1. Review the game in light of any discussion between the Mod and any players from the game.
2. Check for live draw proposals.
If the Mod feels the game is NOT deadlocked as a result of (B.1), this will be posted in Public Press and the game will continue. The game cannot be referred again for another 3 years.
If a Live draw proposal is in place, the Mod will allow the game to proceed until THAT proposal has passed. This will be posted in Public Press. If the proposal is not accepted, no subsequent proposals will prevent the Mod ending the game.
If the Mod feels the game is still deadlocked, the game will be ended.
[To match the change of criteria.]