Forum Rules

Old Role Ideas

Forum Rules

Postby LevinSnakesRise » Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:46 pm

The staff of BlankMediaGames and of the forums would like to keep the community a nice, fun place for everyone who may or may not play Town of Salem. To keep everything running smoothly, we expect everyone to treat each other with respect, ideally, the same way you'd like to be treated, and for everyone to follow the guidelines outlined below so this place can remain friendly and welcoming. :)

Below rules are detailed explanations of the rule, what you will be generally warned/banned for, common sense rules, etc. The rules apply everywhere. It doesn't matter if it takes place in a Private Message, or in the open forum boards, the rules remain the same.

Notice about Warnings and Bans: Depending on the offense, you'll usually get three chances, and then you'll get a temporary ban. If you come back and commit more offenses, don't expect to stick around for too much longer. When it becomes evident temporary time-out bans won't work, you'll eventually find yourself permanently banned. Hopefully no one will have to reach that point. :)

These rules apply to every forum. It doesn't matter where; Forum Mafia, Off-Topic, The Lounge, etc. These rules apply to everyone and applies everywhere. The only difference with Forum Mafia is that they have their own set of rules in addition to these that you must follow.


1. Unsolicited advertising or posting of links outside of BMG or official websites/links of any kind that hasn't been pre-approved by staff are not allowed.
Any and all advertisements and links are to be approved by a staff member before they are posted, no exceptions. Any users caught posting unsolicited advertisements will receive a Board Warning or a permanent ban, depending on the content of the website linked. (i.e: Linking to a pornography site will result in a Permanent Ban). Regular websites, such as image websites (Imgur, etc) will still be monitored but are free to be posted without approval, as well as websites related to the topic at hand.
Any website approved will be monitored closely by staff members. It is up to the original poster of the link to make sure the link stays within compliance of the forum rules. Should it come to light that the link provides access to content that violates our forum rules, whether inappropriate in nature or not, the link will be removed until the staff ensure that;
  • The website in question no longer hosts that content that would be visible to the public eye, and;
  • That the website in question will not repeat the same actions again.

2. BlankMediaGames is for general audience members. Drug talk, nudity/pornography and related topics are not allowed. This rule is not limited to the aforementioned. Light swearing is allowed.
Any nudity or pornography will result in a temporary ban, and the length will be in correlation to the severity of the content posted. Drug talk and the like will have the related posts removed, and a Board Warning given. Continuing to post relating to drugs will result in a second Board Warning, following a ban.
A permanent ban will be issued for a user's first post to the forum if it contains pornographic or racist content.

3. Avatars and signatures are both to be used respectfully and appropriately. This includes the following;
  • You may not use an avatar or signature that targets and another member in any way without their permission.
  • You may not use an avatar or signature that violates Rule 2's inappropriate content rule.
  • You may not use an avatar that is overly suggestive or seductive. If you are unsure, the safest best is to not use it. Confirm with a Global Moderator if something is appropriate or not.
  • Large signatures must be put in spoilers, regardless the content, or edited using the 'simg' BBCode. A staff member will ask you to spoil it if they believe it to be too big. If you refuse, it will be placed for you by LevinSnakesRise. Further refusal or removal of the edit to your signature will result in punishment.

Doing any of the above will result in a Board Warning and removal of the content. A second offense will result in a ban. Same punishment above applies to refusing to spoil large images and signatures. Refusing to remove harassment signatures will result in a permanent ban.

4. Impersonation of BlankMediaGames employees or forum staff is not allowed.
This includes telling people you are a staff member, whether forum staff or employees of BMG, and using the respective titles or flairs in your signature or avatar. You will be given a Board Warning and have the content removed from your profile. Should it have to be removed again, you will receive a permanent ban.

5. Providing harmful downloads or links that may harm or disrupt a computer, network, or any electronic entity is strictly prohibited. Examples of these malicious files include, but are not limited to: Viruses, Network stressing tools (host booters, botnets, etc), worms, and IP grabbers.
Any of the above will result in a permanent ban. We will be able to tell if this is done by accident or not.

6. Sharing account information whether your own, or anyone else's Username/Password is not allowed. Phishing for account information is a permanent ban, both in-game and on the forums.
First offense will result in a Board Warning. A second offense will result in a week ban. A third offense after your ban expires will result in a permanent ban. If you're helping a user evade a ban or blacklist, the warnings will be skipped, and a ban will be placed on the account. We take the privacy of all users very seriously.

7. Spam isn't tolerated on this forum.
Examples of spam include, but are not limited to;
  • Posting multiple times in a row rather than all in one post. Use the Edit button to edit your post if you have additional comments to make.
  • Spamming the use of smilies in your posts. (Please limit to 4 or less.)
  • Abusing the report system for any reason. (This includes, but isn't limited to; Posting gibberish in the reasoning for the report, filing a report after being asked to stop by staff, etc.)
  • Making posts that are not relevant to the topic at hand or have very little content/quality. This rule applies everywhere. (In Role Ideas, explain why you like or dislike a role. In Suggestions, explain why you agree or disagree with an idea, etc.)
    One word responses that give little to no substance belong in this category ('/support' is an example of this.)
    Any posts failing to meet this requirement will be removed and the user will be informed of the removal and why. (In The Lounge, the enforcement is a little relaxed, but still enforced.)
  • Post farming - the act of commenting on many threads with very small and lesser quality posts is not allowed. If staff believe you are attempting to post farm, you will be contacted and your posts deleted.
  • Repeating what someone else has said. (This includes posting just exact quotes without addressing the quote with a response.)
  • Re-posting or creating a thread of a similar topic that was already removed by staff.
  • Cross and double posting aren't allowed. (Posting in multiple forum boards or posting the same thread multiple times, respectfully.)
  • Posting to derail the original topic of the thread in question and directing discussions in direction of a completely different topic.
  • Posting to bump a topic older than a month that you're not the original poster (OP) of, in addition to any of the spam examples (posting multiple times, spamming smilies, etc). If the bump creates new replies to the old thread or the bump was needed in order to reconstitute a past issue, then it is permitted to do so. If you wish to bump a thread older than 1 month, contact a Global Moderator for approval. Failure to do so will violate the rule and result in punishment.
  • Posting asking or providing codes for referrals towards the game's "Refer a Friend" feature.

Your post(s) will be deleted and you will receive a maximum of 2 Public Reminders being given. Continued offenses after 2 reminders will result in a Board Warning. After 3 Board Warnings, you will be given a ban. Any repeat offenders with a history of doing any of the above will be punished more harshly than the standard set above.

8. Personal attacks at a general audience, specific groups of people, or individual users are not allowed, nor tolerated, including outside-forum drama.
This includes but isn't limited to baiting, mocking, intentionally picking fights, racism, sexism, discrimination of any kind, flaming, etc. If you have any issues with a certain forum member, please keep it to PMs but do not forget we enforce the rules in PMs as well. Do not bring PM arguments to the open forum. If necessary, contact a Moderator for assistance by reporting the PM in question. Do not bring drama outside the forums into the forums. Failure to do so will result in a public reminder, followed by a Board Warning, and if necessary, a ban. Slurs of any kind directed at members will result in a permanent ban, including, but not limited to racial and homophobic slurs.

9. Never under any circumstances post personal information, pictures, or any other material of another user without their consent.
Posting your own picture is fine, however personal information in threads that isn't on your profile (i.e: phone numbers, email addresses, etc.) will be removed for your safety. If posting content of another user, please ask their permission first. If they refuse, or you don't ask, the content will be removed and you will be given a Board Warning. Further posting of another user's content will result in a ban.

10. Should your account be disciplined with a ban, you cannot register with a new account to start posting again. This rule also applies to FM Blacklists.
Bans are given for a reason. We have no tolerance for ban-evaders, so creating a new account to get around it will just result in you getting banned again. If you are caught assisting someone from evading their ban in any way, you will be given a Board Warning. This includes, but is not limited to: Creating the account then letting them using it, giving them advice to not get caught, not reporting a known ban-evader, etc.) If you are blacklisted in FM, you are considered banned from FM. If you're found out to be playing in FM while blacklisted, you will be given one Board Warning and the alternate banned. Continuing to try to play after the Board Warning will result in a ban for your main. Further punishment may be handed out by Forum Mafia Moderators if they deem it necessary.

11. Anything that breaks the law is strictly prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: Torrents, Fraud, Hacking, Defrauding, Pirating, and Social Engineering.
This includes discussions of those topics, such as ROMs, ISOs, etc. Any links to such content will be removed, and a warning will be issued. Anything else will result in a permanent ban.

12. Do not bait the forum staff.
If you don't like the way a staff member has handled your situation, whatever or whoever it may be, first talk to them in a private message especially if it concerns you specifically, and do not post about it in the forums in an attempt to cause issues with the staff. If you cannot resolve the issue with the staff member, message another staff member or as a last-resort, message LevinSnakesRise and let him handle it. Like with Rule 8, don't take issues in Private Messages to the public forum. If you do so, your post will be deleted, and you will be messaged or publicly warned, telling you to keep it in PMs. Punishments for further infringing content coincides with Rule 8.

13. Only staff may post on Appeals or player reports in Report Players.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as if you are reporting the same person already reported, or if you are verifying as a witness to the report in question, or if you are a Judge (just doing Trial System reports does not make you a Judge, and will still get you in trouble if you post), as we can check the Post-Game Lobby screenshot provided to see if you fit into these categories. Only staff may respond to appeals. Otherwise, please refrain from posting. If you think a report on you is invalid, please report it to the Moderators via PM. Violating this rule results in a Board Warning.
More information about Appeals can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=40&t=8913

14. Do not abuse alternate accounts.
You may have an alternate account on the forums as long as you are not violating any of the rules mentioned here, doing anything illegal, etc. However if you're ban-evading (which includes evading FM's Blacklist), using alternate accounts to harass users, throwing false support toward your own topic or view point in order to boost your 'point', or anything similar in nature, your alternate will be permanently banned, your main will receive a Board Warning, and you will not be allowed to use an alternate account again. Getting caught using another alternate will result in that alternate also being banned permanently, in addition to your main getting banned for 1 week. Any after that will result in a permanent ban. (See rule 10 about ban-evasion.)
All accounts under your main IP(s) will be treated as the same person unless there is clear proof that there are different people behind those accounts. Proof of seperate people may be asked for at the discretion of the Moderators.

15. If your first post evades our First Post Approval system, your account will be banned.
If your first post is seen to be evading the system, your account will be banned without warning as the first post check is to moderate people who come to the forums. (Not all instances of posts will result in a ban, your post may be simply disapproved.)

16. A staff member's word is final, regardless their rank.
If a staff member tells you to do something (or not to do something), you need to listen to them as they are here to prevent unnecessary conflicts and arguments. If you have an issue, message the Moderator involved and discuss their action/decision with them, they will listen to your concerns. If you find the discussion leading nowhere and are unsatisfied, similar to Rule 12, please message another staff member (or LevinSnakesRise if necessary) regarding such issues, however you need to continue to follow the instructions you were given until told otherwise, and like you do with other members of the community, treat them with the respect they deserve. Don't bring any disagreements you have with the staff into the open forum. If you do, your post(s) will be deleted. If you continue, you will be given a Board Warning. Continued offenses will result in a ban.

17. Do not report minor Forum Mafia issues using the report system.
The forum staff do not need to get involved in minor FM issues. If it's something that violates Forum Mafia's rules, please report it to a Forum Mafia Moderator rather than the Global Moderators. Please only use the report button if it's something serious that violates a forum rule in FM.


If you had a Board Warning issued to your account, and you believe it to be unfair, please contact LevinSnakesRise to discuss the Board Warning in question.

If you have any questions regarding the rules presented above, please feel free to post a question in Ask Questions, or Private Message one of the Moderators.

Note: If the thread you are to be publicly warned for is canned for any or no reason, the public warning will be skipped, and you will be given a Board Warning.


***These rules are not static and may change at any time. Keep an eye out for updates; when changes are made a post will be made in this thread.***


Forum Courtesy
While not necessarily rules and things you can get warned for (unless abused/used excessively), these are things that you should consider regarding other forum visitors, as a courtesy to them, and to prevent flooding the forums with multiple threads of the same topic or subject.

1. Please use appropriate typing styles.
TyPiNg LiKe ThIs (OR THIS!!!!!!!) can be considered annoying.
Please, use proper, appropriate typing styles so you may be understood better. Styles like that can be an eye-sore and a pain to read for everyone. This includes colors or different sizes.

2. Please put large images in Spoiler tags.
Scrolling through large images are obnoxious, and it helps with users accessing the forums through a mobile device, as well as helps them save bandwidth. This one you won't get warned for, but a Moderator can and will edit your post and drop a reminder with it. Use the simg BBCode to restrict the image's size.
This also applies to Signatures. If you're asked to put it in a Spoiler, please do so. An Administrator will do so if you refuse. Taking it out of the spoiler after the fact without editing the size with simg BBCode will result in a Board Warning. (Refer to Rule 7.)

3. We are an English speaking forum, so please use English.
This is so we can understand you. If you use other languages in your post, please include an English translation. You won't get warned for this, but do please keep in mind that most of us don't know a second language, and the only language we know is English.

4. Use the "Search" feature on the forums if you are posting about a bug or a question. Chances are it may have already been posted, or answered.
Your thread will be merged with one of the same topic with the exception of posts made in the Suggestions and Role Ideas board. No warnings will be issued.

5. Please utilize the Report System as it should be.
Threads that are in a wrong topic or posts that are considered spam should be reported via the Report System. Do not post on the thread about this situation just to claim you're reporting or to say the obvious to a user. Do not post on the thread just to report your own post to report something else in the thread

6. Please read Stickied topics before posting.
Again, not something we can warn you for, but Stickied topics come before others because they contain useful information. Give them a read. :) (Do not ask for your own thread to get stickied.)
Please contact BMG with any questions regarding your account issues;
support@blankmediagames.zendesk.com

Thanks.
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