Codes-Rules-Guidelines

Overview


Critical Mass strives to maintain transparency in its leadership to provide a fun, fair and friendly atmosphere for everyone’s gaming experience. The general precept and recurring theme here is "The golden rule", simply put, when in doubt "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". We would like to keep the "rules" to a minimum and leave everything else as guidelines and common sense.

The rules and codes established here will apply to ALL guild members, regardless of rank or reputation within the Guild.

These rules will always be a work in progress, and will be subject to change over time. All suggestions and changes will be reviewed by the appropriate officers, with the Guild Master's final approval.

From time to time, it may be necessary for an officer or class leader to implement a temporary Emergency Rule. Any such Emergency Rule will stand and be enforced until reviewed by a majority of officers and class leaders or by the Guild Master.

All members and users are expected to honor any terms and agreements made with third party software and to comply with all civil and legal laws.

While these rules and codes are primarily centered on The World of Warcraft, they also apply to any other game or activity that Critical Mass participates in.

Enforcement

Most infractions will result in an officer or class leader contacting the involved parties, with the intent of modifying behavior to rectify the situation and resolve any issues. Extreme cases and repeated offense may result in, and are not limited to: Loss of rank and/or privileges, banning from the guild and it's resources, reporting to in game moderators and in the most extreme cases, reporting to civil and legal authorities.


Code of Honor

I will have respect for my peers, courtesy for my lessers
I will praise valorous deeds, be constructive of the fruitless
I will be prideful of my proficiency, humble in my avowal
I will honor my comrades and allies, aid them in times of need
I will be accepting of wisdom, generous of my knowledge
I will neither borrow nor lend, but gift freely of what I do
I will be representative of my guild in all encounters
I will honor my word, the promise implied, proofed in my actions
Above all else, I will be true to myself, so it follows, I cannot be false to anyone




General Rules

1. Chat: Chat refers to any written communications, in game or out. These same courtesies are extended beyond the guild, to anyone in those chat/forum spaces. Chat should be fun, friendly and informative. Lively and playful banter is encouraged.

1. Keep guild chat, general chat, trade chat and any other "open" forum conversations to PG13- These should be family friendly places where anyone can feel free to read and chat. Avoid excessive swearing, controversial and adult themed conversations.
2. Troll/Trolling: Trolling in guild chat, general chat, trade chat and/or any other "open" forum conversation will not be tolerated. Please refer to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) for definition of what Troll/Trolling is.
   
3. Private Conversations: Should be between willing and consenting parties. Respect and please refrain from privately contacting persons or parties who are not interested in engaging in conversations of any nature.
   
4. Block/Ignore/Mute: Changing accounts, alternate characters or using third parties in order to engage a party that has blocked, ignored or muted an account or character will not be tolerated. Third parties should refrain from assisting in harassing a blocked/ignored/muted accounts.
   If you wish to make amends with a person who has blocked, ignored or muted a character or account, it is recommended that you contact an officer or class leader to open communications with said party.
5. Role Play: Role play within the confines of game space is entirely acceptable and even encouraged. However, misrepresenting your age/gender/identity for purposes outside of game play will not be tolerated.
6. Begging: Openly begging for goods or coin of the realm should not be presented in open chat. Many members do offer their crafting services free of charge or at a greatly reduced price to guild members. Crafters can be found under the "guild" pane> and select "professions" from the drop down menu. You can see if a crafter is currently on, and what items they are capable of making. It is acceptable to ask, once you have determined that no such crafter is available, if any online member has an alt available to craft for you.
   

2. Guild Voice Communications: Include, but not limited to- Ventrilo (Vent), Mumble,TeamSpeak, Skype or any other stand alone or in game voice communication programs. Many of the chat rules apply to voice communications. Voice communications are unmoderated and may involve "adult" themed conversations. Everyone should respectful of others in open channels. These same courtesies are extended beyond the guild, to anyone using voice communications. Critical Mass currently offers Ventrilo (Vent) to all of its members: passwords and server information are available in game under the "guild" pane> "information" tab.



3. Discrimination: Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation, religion, disability, or national origin against any person will not be tolerated. Discussions involving such will not be tolerated in any forum, chat or voice communication.


4. Guild Banks: Guild banks are for the benefit of all guild members.

1. Please only withdraw what you need, if an item is in a stack of more than what you need, please redeposit the items that you do not use.
2. Withdrawing any item for personal gain through reselling or in trade for goods or services , whether to a vendor, in the auction house, or to a third party is strictly forbidden. Officers may, from time to time, withdraw items to make space for new items or to be disbursed to a crafter in the best interests of the guild. Any proceeds from these items will be redeposited in the guild coffers.
3. If you have interest in an item that is beyond your access, you may ask a guild officer for assistance; The officer will make a decision if a withdrawal is acceptable and retrieve the item for you or move the item to an accessible bank tab.
4. Items deposited in the guild bank are considered donations and become property of Critical Mass, do not use the guild bank as personal storage.
   

5. No Cheating: cheating or glitching will not be tolerated by any members within a game.

1. A cheat is any unsupported alteration of official game code and associated files or any illegal use of a program that is meant to alter the behavior of a game in a way that either gives an advantage to players using it or gives a disadvantage to players not using it.
2. A glitch is any use of game behavior that is either undocumented or unintended by the manufacturer in order to increase personal performance or decrease the performance of others.
3. If you are unsure if a specific situation constitutes as a “cheat” or “glitch” the proper step to take would be to ask an officer or official game representative to ensure that you abide by the agreements set in place between game developers and players when an account is created.
4. Members caught using a cheat, hack, glitch, or other form of illegal unsupported behavior will be subject but not limited to the full enforcement of the guild through officers and or game officials.

6.Inactivity and Purges:

1. In order to keep the guild a living, functioning organization, Officers and Co GM's who fall under 30 days of inactivity will be demoted to Instance Leader and will become subject to guild purges.
   
2. Guild purges will be conducted on a regular basis with the time period posted on the guild information tab in game. Purged members are free to return to Critical Mass, however, restoration of rank will be at the discretion of the currently active leadership.

Guidelines

1. Encounter Groups

1. Timeliness: If you have committed to an encounter group, every effort should be made to be on time. Of course, situations arise in real life (and should take precedence over any gaming encounter) that may cause absence or tardiness- bear in mind that others are waiting and your role may be filled by another in such situations.
   
2. Filling group roles: Group roles are at the sole discretion of the group leader. Determining factors may include item levels, previous achievements, previous attendance, availability and perceived skill level. Keep in mind that group size is determined by the encounter and and that slots may not be available to all classes.
3. Calendar: The in game calendar is a tool to aid an encounter leader in filling out a group, signing up does not guarantee a position in the encounter but allows leadership to know the availability of a given individual.
   If you are planning on attending an encounter, it is highly recommended that you add your name to any scheduled event, including core members.
4. Communications: Means of communication are at the sole discretion of the group leader and may be a deciding factor in filling roles. Exceptions should be made for individuals that may fall under the protections of the Discrimination rule. Refrain from extraneous chatter once an encounter is started.
5. Downtime: While waiting for a group to fill or prior to queuing for an encounter, by all means, entertain yourselves by any means available.
   Once a group is filled or enqueue, be prepared to cease any such activities which will impair the groups ability to move forward with an encounter.
   Refrain from dueling, entering combat, entering another instance or zone, excessive "zoning" or any other activity that may interrupt a queue or prevent the start of an encounter.
6. Homework: Know your class and role in the group. Watch or read any materials provided by the group lead prior to the encounter.

2. Language

While English is the predominant language spoken by the members of Critical Mass, it is not the only language. We have many members from wide and varied backgrounds. As English is the lingua franca or working language of Critical Mass, it may not be the first language of a given user. Tolerance is expected of everyone in the matter of a difference in colloquialisms, sometimes meanings can be "lost in translation". As a courtesy to everyone, refrain from extended conversations in any language outside of the predominant language of the group or channel that you are currently in.

Any member wishing to form a channel for a specific language should contact an officer to aid in setting up a channel.

3. Rank Promotions: Promotions from Recruit to Member will occur within 30 days of acknowledging and agreeing to abide by the codes, rules and guidelines posted here.
All other promotions will be decided by the Instance Leader or Officer in charge of the activities that you participate in.
Promotions to leadership roles will be decided by the officers with Co GM's and/or Guild Master's approvals.
Further information on what you can do to gain advancement is available |||HERE|||.

4. "Carries": No member should be made to feel obligated to "carry" an undergeared or underskilled player. Any such "carries" are at the discretion of the individuals or encounter leaders involved. Gearing runs and various "YOLO" encounters are often scheduled, check the in game calendar or contact the appropriate officer or encounter leader for more information.

5. Legal Agreements

Legal agreements between all players and Blizzard can be found at the following links:
us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/about/termsofuse.html
us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/about/privacy.html
us.battle.net/support/en/article/policy