UnSportsmanlike Conduct

The Unsportsmanlike Conduct rule relates to behavior that is harmful or potentially harmful to the game. It is not intended to supplement or replace The Arena's Terms Of Service agreement, which applies to anyone, regardless of whether they actively play the game or not. Unsportsmanlike Conduct calls will not be issued for TOS violations, or for message board violations of the Posting Guidelines. Unsportsmanlike Conduct calls may be issued in situations that aren't clearly defined by TOS, but are clearly disruptive to the game. Because this is a complex rule, a comprehensive list of what is or is not a violation of Unsportsmanlike Conduct can't be made available.

Procedure

The host making the call will submit a report to the other officials (either immediately or directly after his shift), and include a log of the player's unacceptable behavior. The other hosts will read the report and vote on whether to give the player an Unsportsmanlike Conduct violation on their permanent record. In order to make it stick, 75% or more of the active Arena officials must agree that the situation warrants the call. Past disciplinary action or disruptive behavior may be used as compound evidence that the player deserves a violation. If there is any question, the player may be asked to submit an explanation of his behavior, and witnesses or victims may be asked for their assistance.

Penalties

First Offense: Suspension of fighting privileges for all of the player's characters* for anywhere from one to two weeks. During this time, the player would be permitted to role-play and bet normally, but not use the Trading Post for transactions. The character involved in the incident, or the player's primary character, will lose a 5% to 10% of his or her hit points and/or spell points. Players found circumventing the suspension may receive a second USC call.

Second Offense: Penalties for the first offense will be given for a period of two to four weeks and, during this time, all of the player's characters will be barred from betting (role-play is still possible). None of the player's characters will be allowed to enter the next tournament. The character involved in the incident, or the player's primary character, will lose 50% of his total gold and 10% to 20% of his or her hit points and/or spell points.

Third Offense: The player's primary character (or the one involved in the incident) is erased and removed from the files and listings. Nothing may be transferred from the character before it is lost. The player may submit a new character for the screen name, forfeits will carry over. Additionally, all of the player's characters will be suspended from fighting, betting, and the Trading Post for a month. During the suspension period, he may still drop by to watch, role-play, or post on the message boards, but the erased character no longer has any stats or powers.

Further offenses will result in penalties similar to the Third Offense (including character erasure), and double the time required for suspension. Fines and punishments are variable according to the severity of the infraction, for any violation. The same offense need not be repeated to earn a second call. Because any violation must be given for intentional behavior, USC calls may not be removed from your record.

* Of course, the hosts may not remember or know all of your characters, but they will enforce the suspension on those they do know. If they find out at any later time that you used a character to fight during your suspension, you may receive another USC call. It is best to comply if you would like to play the game again.

Examples

Cheating: Faking dice rolls with false screen inputs that appear as dice rolls or the use of scripts or programs that accomplish the same thing. Forfeiting intentionally to cause an opponent to gain fewer points. Blatantly rigging ("throwing") a match so that one person stands no chance of winning.

Disrupting The Game: This occurs when one or more players enter into OOC argument or discussion which requires the host to repeatedly interrupt his or her duties. If the players persist, they may instead be given a Terms of Service warning for Room Disruption.

Instigating Unsportsmanlike Actions: Attempting to blackmail or coerce another player to commit an unsportsmanlike act. Bribing other players with game amenities (such as gold or items) to not report situations that could result in a USC call or TOS violation.

Disregarding Arena Etiquette: Disregarding warnings made by the host. This may be the use of improper fonts, anachronistic roleplay, or the like.

Alt Revealing: Many players have a number of different screen names ("alts") they play as characters in the game. Some may be considered public information, such that a player will announce that either character is looking for a fight. Most are not, and the connection will only be made by mistake or by some measure of unwanted scrutiny by another player. If a player publicly reveals the identity of a character without the prior permission of the player whose screen name it is, she/he may be liable for an Unsportsmanlike Conduct call. It is considered a serious intrusion in the character's role-playing identity, as the cross between characters can cause discomfort and unwanted attention in the future.