Site Rules
This page provides a summary overview of
our rules and gaming standards. The complete Rules for Fair Play and Rules for Fair Use
covering playing games and use of the site are posted on the Forum.
Many
technical issues are described in the Information forum.
For
a summary of the rules of the game, see the Game Rules page.
User Misconduct
We
take cheating and other misconduct seriously at PlayDiplomacy. Site management will take appropriate action for violation of our rules,
whether you are aware of them or not, and whether you have a premium or
non-premium account, up to and including removal from games and restricting
access to the site.
If you become aware of cheating on
site, review the guidelines
for reporting cheating and either send a
private message (a “PM”) to a moderator or post in the Cheaters
forum. DO NOT make cheating accusations in public press, chat, or
elsewhere in the forum.
Summary of Site Rules
Below are the main rules for using PlayDiplomacy.com
and playing games on PlayDiplomacy.com. Each rule is linked to the section of
the rules where it is stated in more detail.
At the end, there are links to Site
Rules which don’t relate directly to games.
1. Accounts
·
Multiple accounts are not allowed. We have a strict one
member, one account policy.
·
Schools accounts are an exception to the above. An account
created using the ‘For Teachers’ facility does not count as a personal account
and a member who uses a Schools account may create a personal account also.
·
Usernames must not: be sexually explicit; abusive towards
race, sexuality, sexual orientation or gender; contain obscenity or profanity;
reference illegal acts, or otherwise have content which may be widely
offensive.
·
False or temporary emails should not be used as we may need to
contact members occasionally.
·
Multi-accounting.
Players are not allowed to: operate more than one account in the same game, or
access, or be given access to, another account in the same game or an account
that shares any games.
·
Team/Shared accounts are not allowed in Ranked or No Rank games.
·
Players must enter a game aiming to get the best possible result from the
game.
·
Screenshots of
games are not allowed to be communicated in any way.
·
Separating
games from the forum. Players are not allowed to use the forum
to influence a game where this can be avoided.
·
Game
names must not: be sexually explicit; abusive towards
race, sexuality, sexual orientation or gender; contain obscenity or profanity;
reference illegal acts, or otherwise have content which may be widely
offensive.
·
Hacking or otherwise hijacking another player’s account is
not allowed.
·
Maliciously impersonating players or site management is not
allowed.
3. Communications
·
All communication about a game must be
in the game. This is part of the User
Agreement and must be strictly followed in Ranked
and No Rank games (we make exceptions for Friends and Schools games).
·
Encrypted
and coded messages (to mask the content of in-game
messages) are not allowed.
·
Public
Press posts must not feature content that is:
extremely abusive towards other players, obscene or profane; abusive towards
race, sexuality, sexual orientation or gender; overtly sexual; threatening,
whether the threats refer to action on-site or off; others’ personal
information; spamming; or advertising. Discussions of possible cheating or
accusations of cheating must not be placed in Public Press.
·
Power-to-power
messages in games must not: feature content that
contravenes our cyber-bullying
policy; be extremely abusive or aggressive; be
defamatory, or contain illegal content.
·
In variants
where communication is restricted, no other method of communication is allowed
other than provided for in the rules for that variant.
4. Cheating
·
Pre-game alliances. Players are not allowed to: enter a game with a
pre-arranged alliance, join a game with the intention of deliberately allying
with another player or power or invite another player to join a game as an
ally.
·
Coaching/teaching is not allowed in Ranked or No Rank games.
·
Equal treatment.
All players in a game must be treated equally; players are not allowed to treat
others especially on the basis of prior relationships.
·
Persistent alliances/team play are not allowed.
·
Cross-game interactions. Players are not allowed to: form alliances or exchange favours across different games; join a game specifically to
attack another player in that game; threaten reprisals in a current game for
events in past games (or in a future game for events in the current game) or
for events outside the game.
·
Cross-game information sharing. Players are not allowed to: exchange information in any
way or form about active games; share information from active or archived games
about another player in the game that cannot be found from information open to
anyone on the site, or refer any player in the game to another game using the
name or number of that game.
·
Threatening to report a player for
cheating in order to affect the game, or that
player’s play, is not allowed.
·
Hijacking a game.
Players are not allowed to enter a game solely to: enter orders then leave the
game to deliberately disrupt it; enter orders to target a specific player in
the game and then leave; send malicious message to a player, or post malicious
Public Press, and then leave the game.
5. Specific
rules for variants
(a) Anonymous
games.
In Anonymous
Players games, players do not know who is in the game.
In Anonymous
Countries games, players do not know which player is playing which
power.
Gunboat and Public Press Only games are also
anonymous.
In ALL anonymous games, players should avoid
revealing their identity if it is necessary to report a game and not reveal
their participation in the game outside of the game.
Players MAY claim an identity inside the game, however, as this will not be known until after the
game is finished.
(b) Gunboat
games.
No explicit communication is allowed in these games.
(c) Public
Press Only (PPO) games.
Players may only communicate via Public Press in
these games.
(d) Fog
of War games.
Players may only pass on information about the
‘fogged’ areas on the map using any communications allowed in the game.
6. Rules
for different game categories.
This link explains how the site’s rules are modified
for No Rank, Friends and Schools games.
The
most important features are that Friends and Schools games will not routinely
be investigated (although players in those games may be subject to
investigation in some circumstances).
Other Rules
The following links will explain other
rules for using PlayDiplomacy.com.
Rules for using the site’s Chatbox.
Rules for using the Forum.
How the site deals with cyber-bullying.
How to report
abuse.
The
site’s Appeals
Process.
The site and its management reserve the right to enforce the
site’s rules and sanction any member who breaks them irrespective of whether
the individual concerned agrees with or accepts the rules, whatever the status
of the individual’s account.
By using PlayDiplomacy.com account holders agree to follow the
rules of the site.
Site rules may be subject to change and modification at any time.
While PlayDiplomacy.com undertakes to maintain an up-to-date
version of the rules on this page, the rules the site operate under are
maintained principally on the Forum.