Index -
General Rules
Signature and avatar rules



A list of forum rules follows. The name of an offense is in bold, and a detailed description follows; you can quickly skim through the boldfaced offense names to get an idea of our rules, and read the description if you're unsure about the particulars. If you still aren't confident about what the rules are, please PM a moderator for a clarification.

Minor Offenses
A minor offense will usually only result in a warning if a consistent pattern emerges, although every offense except the most trivial will be logged so that such a pattern can be detected if it exists. Minor offenses include:
  • Gratuitously double-posting. If you want to quote multiple posts, that's fine, but posting twice in a row in the same thread for most other reasons is not good. Edit your post instead.
  • Posting off the topic of a thread.
  • Breaking the signature/avatar rules.
  • Spamming (making a post that contains no meaningful content). Note that this offense carries a special penalty: if it's decided that someone is clearly spamming, their post count will be reset to zero.
  • Gravedigging (posting in a long-dead thread so it moves to the top of the thread listing). Many people find it annoying when someone bumps an old thread with a post that just says "I agree" or something. If you have a meaningful update, fine, but don't post in a thread more than a month old unless you have something substantive to add. Start a new one.
  • Posting excessively hard-to-read text or excessive foreign-language text. If the moderators have too much trouble reading what people say, they can't do their job.

Intermediate Offenses
Intermediate offenses will usually receive a warning on every offense. Intermediate offenses include:
  • Cross-posting the same thread in different TWC forums.
  • Advertising commercial products or other forums. This is permitted in signatures, and also if it's relevant to a legitimate discussion. You're also allowed to request comments on your personal site in Thema Devia (the off-topic board), or provide an interesting or relevant link to another site (but don't create more than one topic about it).
  • Describing or detailing any sexual act or sexual organs. Many users (especially Americans) find such descriptions disgusting or upsetting, even if they're tame by your standards.
  • Incitement of illegal activity. Examples of things that are illegal in most jurisdictions: ROMs, warez, cracks of game software (including no-CD cracks), CD keys/CD key generators, online copies of copyrighted music, movies, videos, or any other type of media, methods of cheating in online games, marijuana or other controlled substances. Asking for any of those is against the rules, as is encouraging their use or distribution in any way. If you're saying it as a joke ("Strangling random people in the street is fun!"), make sure that's clear. If something is legal in your locality but not in most of the U.S. (where Ogre's Net is based, remember, even if we have an international audience), specify that you are not encouraging the commission of the act in places where it's illegal. Discussion of whether something should be legal is fine.
  • Flaming/rudeness. This can be hurtful and can disrupt a thread, even if the attack is true. Attack the argument or the view, not the person. Examples of flaming: "You're an idiot", "You moron", "Screw you", "Go kill yourself", "Are you stupid or something?", "Your mom is fat", "What you just said was retarded".
  • Posting copyrighted material in a manner that could dissuade someone from accessing it in a legitimate manner. Post a link instead, with a brief quote if you want. If you post a whole article, people aren't going to go to the site, and the copyright holder loses out on ad revenue for his work. Likewise for posting scanned pics from magazines, scans of reference pics from a reference book, etc. Also for linking to sites that do this. Nobody cares if you use a copyrighted image for an avatar, though, for instance, since there's no significant market for that.
  • Evading the swear filter. If the word gris is banned, then the following are also banned: g-r-i-s, gr*s, g***, 9|-1$, girs, gryeeeas, grizznizz, **** (rhymes with bris). However, it's okay to post ****, ****ed, ****ing, g'ed, or g-word, for instance.

Severe Offenses
Committing a severe offense will typically bump you up two levels in the warning scheme instead of one. This will get you perilously close to a suspension on the very first offense. An extremely severe offense, such that we feel you have no intent to become a productive member of the forum, will result in a permanent ban. Severe offenses include:
  • Posting or linking to images of the genital regions or fully-exposed breasts. We are aware that some images of this nature are commonplace in certain countries; nevertheless, Ogre's Net is an American corporation, and a large percentage of our viewers would be offended by such images. Images such as this are acceptable if posted in a fully serious context, however (e.g., naked warriors in a historical modification, discussion about nude artwork, etc., but please keep these images confined to actual discussions about them and not just stuck in signatures or the like). Acting immaturely toward images posted in a serious context can be considered a minor offense.
  • Posting or linking to images depicting a sex act. It doesn't matter if there's any nudity, it doesn't matter if it's a bit ambiguous. If it looks like it's sex, it's out. No exceptions whatsoever.
  • Posting or linking to extremely gory or otherwise revolting content. Maybe you have a strong stomach, but other people don't. We don't want to be associated with things like that, sorry.
  • Posting or linking to no-CD cracks, warez, ripped media such as music or movies, or similar things.

Other offenses
  • Linking to a page or thread that breaks one of these rules is usually acceptable for intermediate cases if you include a prominent warning (e.g., "Link (warning, potentially offensive material!)"). Linking to a page or thread that breaks one of the "severe" rules is unacceptable no matter what the warning.
  • The following are somewhat rarer offenses that will typically be dealt with on a case-by-case basis: intentionally posting inaccurate information, promoting illegal scams (e.g., pyramid schemes), conducting or participating in an organized flooding/spam attack or invasion, impersonation, harrassment/stalking, posting private info without permission, attempting to break into another person's account, attempting to hack the boards software, evading a ban.

So what's a warning?
All offenses but the most trivial are logged. Cautions are logged but carry no penalty, no matter how many you get. Your first warning in any given offense is "free" and carries no penalty. Any subsequent warnings for that offense raises your warn level by one points. If your warning level reaches two or higher, you'll start being suspended for progressively longer periods. Non-"free" warnings expire after two months.

Appeals
If you think you've been punished unjustly, you can appeal to a higher-ranking moderator. Local moderators are subordinate to Cohortes Praetorio and Quaestors, who are below Praetors, who are below Consuls, who are below the Imperator. A list of all current site moderators can be found here.

And finally, a disclaimer
This list of rules includes the most common offenses, and the only ones we've thought of for which you'll get formally warned on the first offense, but the list isn't completely exhaustive, and the warning guidelines aren't hard and fast rules. If a moderator tells you not to do something, you can argue, but don't do it until you're given the all-clear by that moderator or a higher-ranking one.








A.General rules that apply to all image content:

  • Image content that violates the site content rules and protective language censors will be removed.

  • Certain logos, site insignia for the various user groups and ranks, and site buttons may not be used in avatars and signature images because the cause confusion.

  • Images with overtly distracting bright flashing sequences of images are strongly discouraged and will be removed.

  • Using you signature or avatar image or signature text to actively troll for off topic reaction responses or to publish message replies that would not be allowed in an individual message post is not allowed and may be cause for immediate suspension of posting and signature privileges.


B.Avatar Image Size

  • Avatar images must be no larger than 80 pixels by 80 pixels.
  • Avatar image size must be less that 20kb.
  • Animated avatars are allowed at this time, subject to the general rules above.


C.Signature Sizes (including image options)
  • Signatures may consist of any amount of text and images combined. They will be automatically trimmed to fit in a 500×200-pixel box.
  • All signature contents combined may not exceed 100 KB. Signatures that exceed this limit will be removed or edited by moderators.


E.Personal Image Sizes
  • Every user may upload and store a single personal image that will display on their user profile page. The user profile can be accessed from any message by clicking on that user's name, but the personal image will not display in the actual forum discussion pages.

  • Basic users may upload a personal image of not more than 150w X 150h pixels and not more than 100kb in file size.

  • Civitates may upload a personal image of not more than 250w X 250h pixels and again not more than 100kb in file size.

  • Patricians, Senatorii and Staff may upload a personal image of not more than 500w X 250h pixels and not more than 150kb in file size.