Code of Conduct

    Terms of Use

    The primary purpose of these forums is to allow constructive discussion between members and provide a venue where Gen Con can provide information to its attendees. Gen Con LLC has provided this community as a privilege and not a right; as such Gen Con LLC has the right to revoke that privilege at any time. Members are encouraged to contribute to this community in constructive means. Please see "The Code" for further information on constructive means of contribution. Members must be 13 years of age or older to join this community. Proof of age may be asked for at any time

    The Community Roles

  • Members (AKA, You!)
    As a member, it is your responsibility to notify the moderator team and/or Gen Con staff members of any code violations by using the "report abuse" link at the bottom of a post, by private message (PM) or by email. In the case of the latter two, make sure to include the link to the offending post so that we can investigate as quickly as possible. Please do not take it on yourself to settle disputes.
  • Moderators

    Gen Con LLC has chosen a group of forum Members to act as moderators for this community. Moderators have the right to make judgment calls on behalf of Gen Con LLC concerning enforcement of the Code of Conduct as well as intervene in member disputes as the situation warrants. Moderators have the right to edit/delete posts, lock or move threads, and issue warnings and bans of accounts as deemed necessary to keep peace on the Boards. Most disciplinary actions will be initiated by one of these individuals. Occasionally, disciplinary action may be initiated by Gen Con LLC staff members. Unlike Gen Con LLC staff, moderators are volunteers. You may also contact any moderator for community issues.
  • Gen Con LLC Staff

    Gen Con LLC staff members have final say on any and all issues. Staff members can override a moderator's call at any time, including, but not limited to, the issuance or revoking of warnings and bans. Staff members contribute to the community as time allows, but may not be able to read all the forums. If you need immediate assistance please email them directly or contact customerservice@gencon.com for assistance. Staff members may be identified by the "druidic" icon.

    • The Code

    Members of the Gen Con Community are expected to conduct themselves in a responsible fashion. This code of conduct is the foundation for behavior expected on the boards. Members should respect fellow forum members, and remember that Gen Con LLC is a family-oriented environment. Offensive materials, trolling, and sales or trades of any kind are strictly prohibited. Not every possible circumstance that may warrant moderator intervention will be covered in this Code; however, moderators have the right to edit/delete any posts and lock any threads deemed necessary, in order to maintain community harmony.

    The Rules

    The following is not a comprehensive list. Offences that are not on this list will be reviewed by a team of moderators and/or Gen Con LLC staff.

    Treat all community users with respect
    1. Avoid topics on the "Taboo Topics" list. See that section for more details.
    2. Name calling, racial slurs, harassment and other disrespectful behavior is strictly prohibited.
    3. Trolling (posting with the intent of eliciting a negative response) is strictly prohibited.

    Keep the boards clean and neat!
    1. Avoid posts that are comprised of incomprehensible language and/or annoying formatting.
    2. Avoid posting whole articles / large amounts of pictures. Where applicable, link to content rather than recreate it.
    3. Avatars must be kept to a size of 60 X 60 Pixels
    4. Signatures must be less than 150 X 400 pixels
    5. Signatures and avatars should not use excessive / flashing animation.

    Do not spam the boards
    1. Avoid thread necromancy (posting in a thread more than a month old)
    2. Avoid off-topic posting. See the title of a thread for the topic.
    3. Avoid excessive posting. As a rule, posts should include more than one sentence. Do not respond to every thread with a few words.
    4. Advertisement is strictly prohibited. Gen Con vendors may post information about their booth / product, but may not post prices of any kind. The only exception to this rule is that those running ticketed events may post the cost of their ticketed event.
    5. Sales of all kinds are strictly prohibited.
    6. Personal conversations are not allowed on the Boards. If you're having essentially a private conversation with one other person, please take that discussion to PMs or IMs.

    Respect Moderator decisions
    1. Moderator actions are not to be discussed on the boards.
    2. Do not engage in "Vigilante Moderating" i.e. trying to handle disciplinary problems yourself. Report suspect behavior using the "report abuse" button or PM a moderator.
    3. Do not re-post information such as deleted content after a moderator has altered / deleted it.


    Taboo Topics

    Gen Con LLC is a family-oriented environment, so please keep all posts within a "PG-13" standard (refer to MPAA's official PG-13 definition). We also ask that users avoid possibly controversial subjects. The following is the list of "Taboo Topics." Posts dealing with these topics will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but members are strongly cautioned to consider their use carefully, as they may be deleted/edited as necessary.
    1. Drug references
    2. Nude images (except those that are non-sexual in nature, i.e., Michelangelo's David) or, strong sexual content
    3. Strong language
    4. Strong or excessively violent descriptions
    5. Topics of Religion
    6. Topics of Politics

    Consequences for Rule Breaking

    There are four kinds of disciplinary actions a moderator may take, in increasing order of severity. These are reminders, warnings, and bans, both temporary and permanent. The severity of the transgression determines which action a moderator may decide to take. Members are not permitted to discuss moderator decisions in the forums, but may ask for clarification or an appeal as outlined below. Reminder: A reminder is a simple tool for a moderator to gently remind users of a mild offense. They may be issued in a thread, by PM, or occasionally by email. If a moderator asks you to do something or to stop doing something, consider it a reminder that should be taken to heart. Repeated offenses will result in a warning or other action.

    Official Warnings

    Official Warnings are reserved for more severe offenses. They are only handled through private messages (PMs) or emails and are considered confidential. Warnings are indicated with the word "Warning" in the subject line. Any public posts directly in reference to warnings received will result in the post being deleted and the issuance of another warning or additional action. All warnings are carefully tracked. Members with a large number of warnings will be submitted for banning.

    Account Suspension

    An account suspension is issued in circumstances when members are in need of a cool-down period, such as following an argument or inflammatory post. Account Suspensions may also be issued while Moderators discuss other issues with an account such as the possibility of a fraudulent account. Account Suspension can last for any length of time, specified at the time of the issuance. A time out will be sent by email and will have the words "Account Suspension" in the subject line, and the length of time in the body of the message.

    Permanent Ban

    Permanent bans are only used in the most extreme cases. It should be noted that actions on these boards may also result in the banning from forum activities or even the convention itself if deemed necessary. Banned users creating another account will result in that account being banned. Allowing a banned user to use your account will result in your account being banned.In addition, if a community member commits any of the following offenses, they may be immediately submitted for banning.
    1. Continued failure to adhere to the code of conduct.
    2. Accounts created solely for spam.
    3. Totally unacceptable behavior or posts
    4. Accounts created to circumvent a ban

    Other moderator tools

    Moderators may perform any of a number of other actions to a post that has violated the CoC. These actions may be taken at any time. Moderators may edit offending posts. In these cases, the edited section will be clearly labeled. They may also delete the post entirely. Moderators may also move threads to a new section. In some cases, an entire thread may be locked or deleted. Appeals: If you disagree with a moderator's judgment, first contact another moderator to discuss the issue. The moderator team will discuss the dispute and provide a ruling. If, after receiving a moderator team ruling, you still feel you have been treated unfairly, you may contact/email Customer Gen Con Service


    Lastly, have fun! We are all here for the same reason: Gen Con Indy, The Best Four Days of Gaming.
2008 Gen Con LLC Code of Conduct