Forum Game Rules

[Arete]

Looking for the Global Rules? They can be found here.

The following rules are default and apply to all forum games unless the host explicitly states any changes.

1. Do not angleshoot, cheat, or abuse loopholes in the rules. This includes using out-of-game information to your advantage. In addition, saying that you have a read that you cannot say because it would qualify as angleshooting or otherwise violate the rules qualifies as angleshooting and is not allowed.
2. Do not weaponize hosts/moderators.
3. Do not discuss replacements, concessions, modkills, rulebreaks, flags, or ignores/blocks. This includes voicing intent or pressuring other players to do so.
4. Do not gamethrow or sabotage games. You are expected to play towards the win-condition that you have, not the win-condition that you want. Do not join games with the sole intent to troll.
5. Do not edit posts in an attempt to gain an advantage. Editing minor spelling/formatting errors on your posts is allowed. Do not delete posts.
6. As a player, any formatting tags or fonts that make your text much smaller or more difficult to understand than default are not allowed. (Including but not limited to: using more than one <small> tag in a single message, abusing colors to match theme backgrounds, etc).
7. Do not like or create posts in a game if you are dead or not a player in said game. Do not post or like posts during twilight or night.
8. Players may not use the poll or wiki features in a game. Do not link anything that can be edited, such as a google sheet or dynamic document.
9. Please only speak English, and do not create or use cyphers.
10. Do not quote or screenshot any PMs relating to the match. Fake images and quotes will be treated as if they are real. When referring to host or private communications always paraphrase, and do not provide timestamps.
11. Do not discuss ongoing games outside of host-sanctioned threads. This extends to non-players as well.
12. Do not strategically replace out or flake. Replacing out should only be done in the instance of an emergency or unforeseen event that renders you unable to continue playing.
13. Do not use banned third-party programs to assist you in playing forum games, and do not discuss the use of unapproved programs during games.
14. You may only use one account per game.
15. Do not use a hydra/shared account without explicit host permission.
16. You must create a minimum of 15 substantive, on-topic, game-related posts per phase.
17. Do not pressure or trick other users into breaking any rules.
18. Refrain from excessive use of appeals to emotion (ATE).

Moderation:

Breaking any of these rules repeatedly will result in a temporary or permanent forum game blacklist, depending on the severity and circumstances of the rulebreak. Some offences will result in an instant permanent blacklist.

The public moderation logs, which list blacklists, can be found here.

Report Forum Game rulebreaks by contacting any out-of-game moderator, or flagging the post.

[Arete]

Replacement Policy Update

Rule 12 of the Forum Game Rules states:

@Arete

Do not strategically replace out or flake. Replacing out should only be done in the instance of an emergency or unforeseen event that renders you unable to continue playing.

In the past, we have moderated this rule through a 2-replacements policy, in which players were blacklisted after 2 replacements without good cause in a two-month period. However, this policy was somewhat problematic, as players were sometimes concerned that they would be punished for completely legitimate replacements, and conversely players sometimes strategically replaced out and relied on it only being the first replacement in the designated period.

Therefore, we have decided to move back to a policy of moderating replacements on a case-by-case basis. After the end of a game in which a player replaced out, a moderator will contact that player to discuss the circumstances that led to the replacement. This does not mean that players will be instantly banned for a questionable replacement, as long as it was not egregiously strategic, but if this forms a pattern of behavior action may be taken.

[Chloe]

FM Rules Update - Feb 23rd, 2022

All changes are effective immediately

Rule 6

As host accounts have a bright border to distinguish them from regular posts, and large text is no longer necessary to reserve for hosts and moderators, we have decided to alter the following rule:

As a player, any formatting tags or fonts that make your text much larger, smaller, or more difficult to understand than default are not allowed. (Including but not limited to: #, ##, <big>, using more than one <small> tag in a single message, abusing colors to match theme backgrounds, etc).

The red portions have been removed, and the rule now reads:

As a player, any formatting tags or fonts that make your text much smaller or more difficult to understand than default are not allowed. (Including but not limited to: using more than one <small> tag in a single message, abusing colors to match theme backgrounds, etc).

Hosts may still choose to alter this rule to disallow large text, but by default it is now allowed. Abusing large text is considered spam and will be treated as such.

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Rule 10

Do not quote or screenshot any PMs relating to the match. Fake images and quotes will be treated as if they are real. When referring to host or private communications always paraphrase, and do not provide timestamps.

This rule has been altered as the original wording of “do not refer to PMs” was rather ambiguous.

If you’re unsure whether or not you’re allowed to paraphrase a private message, or if your post about host communication falls within acceptable parameters, confirm with the hosts before posting it.

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Addendum

Finally, we would like to promote the use of the Flagging system. By flagging a post, you send an immediate notification to the moderators, which allows for the fastest response times.

To flag a post, click the 'Show More’ button at the bottom of any post, and select the flag icon:

You will be prompted to select a category. If none of the available categories match the rulebreak, select ‘Something Else’ and input a short explanation.

Flagging posts in an ongoing game will only alert moderators who are not in that game.

Intentional false flagging is considered spam.

Thank you!

[Chloe]

What are Angleshooting and Out-of-Game Information (OGI)?

Angleshooting and OGI are closely related concepts. The core of angleshooting/OGI is using information NOT from the game itself to make reads or arguments within the game itself (excluding the use of player meta, which is allowed).

In general, publicly making reads based on angleshooting is NEVER allowed. This includes saying that you have a read you cannot explain because it would be angleshooting.

Players should strive to avoid allowing out-of-game information to influence their reads. Occasionally, minor examples of angleshooting are unavoidable; however, if you encounter significant out-of-game information, you should inform the host, who will decide how to handle the situation.

Discussion of warnings, bans, replacements, modkills, concessions, etc. is considered angleshooting.

If you are unsure whether a specific read is angleshooting or OGI, you may consult with the host.

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Illustrative examples (not a comprehensive list)

Examples

• You are in a game with Chloe. Chloe has been actively posting in the Breadbox server, but not in the thread. It is NOT allowed to say in the game thread, “I think Chloe is a wolf because she is posting in Breadbox but not here.”

• You are in a game with Chloe. Chloe has been actively posting in the Breadbox server, but not in the thread. It is NOT allowed to say in the game thread, “I think Chloe is a wolf, but I can’t explain my read because it is angleshooting.”

• You are in a game with Chloe and Arete. Arete is voted out day 1, and flips Mafia. Chloe posts in another Discord server, “I am so sick of randing Mafia with useless partners who get voted out day 1.” You should inform the host of this fact, and allow them to decide what to do; even if they decide not to force-replace you, it is NOT allowed to bring this information up in the game thread.

• You have been inactive due to having a lot of homework, and have stated this fact in the game thread. Another player accuses you of lying. It is NOT allowed to post a photograph of your homework in the game thread in order to prove you are telling the truth.

• You are in a game with Chloe. After two consecutive Mafia executions, she replaces out. It is NOT allowed to say “I think Chloe replaced out because she’s a wolf and is salty that her team was being destroyed.”

• You are in a game with katze, who is actively posting in thread. You ask her “Who is your top townread?” She takes half an hour to respond. It is ALLOWED to say “I think katze is a wolf for taking so long to respond to my question” – this only makes reference to facts contained within the game (katze’s posts).

• You are in a game with katze, who is executed and flips Mafia. You notice that she repeatedly liked posts accusing Chloe of being Mafia. It is ALLOWED to say “Chloe is probably Town because katze was liking posts that suspected her” – the Like feature is considered part of the game.

• You are in a game with Arete. You compare Arete’s past games to the current game, and conclude they are acting similarly to their Mafia playstyle. It is ALLOWED to say “Arete is probably a wolf from meta” – although previous games are not contained within the current game, it is still allowable to reference them.

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In order to avoid OGI and Angleshooting, the following are heavily recommended:

• Don’t mention specifics when referring to real-life circumstances. Keep things vague.

• Don’t play multiple games at once (aka multitabling).

• Don’t play with people you live with or see in person often.

• Don’t change your avatar while in an ongoing game.

[Chloe]

What is Weaponizing the Host/Moderator?

Weaponizing the Host/Moderator is attempting to pressure the hosts or moderators to make a specific moderation decision in order to influence the game. This creates undue pressure on the hosts to make a specific decision, even if that decision is not correct.

Example: Arete and Chloe are playing a game hosted by Marl. Arete publicly angleshoots. Chloe tells Marl, “Arete is angleshooting, you should really modkill them for that :/” In this example, Chloe is attempting to weaponize Marl to get Arete modkilled.

Simply reporting posts to the hosts/moderators is not considered to be a violation of this rule.

Example: Arete and Chloe are playing a game hosted by Marl. Arete repeatedly insults Chloe. Chloe privately tells Marl, “Arete is being toxic” and links examples of toxic posts. Chloe’s behavior is legal and encouraged.

If you believe that a host is improperly handling a rules violation, you may contact an out-of-game moderator.

[Chloe]

Hi everyone! Over the past few months we’ve noticed an increase in the frequency and severity of ATE (appeals to emotions) in games. We have some concerns about this, so we’re modifying our rules to address this.

Why is this a problem?

While not every form of emotional expression in games is inherently problematic, the use of extreme or excessive ATE can cause numerous problems. A few of the ones we’ve noticed:

• Many players find it very unenjoyable to play in games that have significant amounts of ATE.
• ATE can often become toxic, and even when it doesn’t, game threads with large amounts of ATE can lead to increased toxicity.
• Excessive ATE can create game integrity issues. A sentiment we’ve seen repeatedly, in various forms, is ‘[Player] is town because they ATE’d so much, a wolf would never do that unless they were a terrible person.’ When there’s a discrepancy between what’s considered acceptable for wolves and for villagers, that’s a problem.
• The possibility of ATE can warp the gamestate. If players are refraining from pushing specific players because they don’t want those players to blow up at them emotionally, that’s a problem.
• If some players are ATEing, it can create incentives for other players to ATE as well, which leads to a vicious cycle where everyone feels like they have to ATE if they don’t want to be miseliminated.

Rules changes

Effective immediately, we are adding the following rule to the Forum Game rules.

18. Refrain from excessive use of appeals to emotion (ATE).

There are three main things we mean by this:

1. Refrain from statements that directly say or imply that something in the game is having a negative impact on someone’s out of game relationships or well-being. (Credit to Mafia451/Nanook)
   • This includes posts that imply the game is negatively affecting your performance at school or work, mental health, etc.
   • Posts that imply that your out-of-game well-being is being harmed by the game force other players to decide between pursuing their win condition and preserving your out-of-game well-being.
   • If your mental health or life circumstances mean that mafia games consistently harm your well-being, it may be a good idea to refrain from signing up for games.
2. Do not try to make other players feel guilty about their gameplay.
   • Criticizing other players’ play is still allowed, provided that you are not toxic.
   • However, trying to guilt-trip other players (e.g. to get them to stop pushing you) is not allowed.
3. Do not argue or imply that you should be townread for ATEing.
   • If some form of ATE is so serious that you would be unwilling to fake it as scum, you shouldn’t be doing it as town.
   • In some cases, this can create a “trust tell,” which is considered a form of cheating.

Examples

The following are examples of posts that are ALLOWED:

Hey everyone, I know we’re all a little dejected about being in LyLo without killing a single wolf, but think how great it’ll feel if we can pull off a reverse sweep! Don’t give up!

I think that, given that we’re a day before LyLo and I have hard defended both flipped wolves, it is strategically optimal to execute me today so that wolves can’t push to misexecute me in LyLo. I am willing to self-vote if necessary to make that happen.

So far this game, you’ve deathtunnelled katze, Marl, and me for posting the joycat emoji. It’s a little frustrating that even after katze and Marl flipped town, you continued to insist that “joycat means lockscum.” I think you are a villager, but you should reconsider how you go about solving the game.

I’m feeling a little stressed, so I’m going to take a break from the game for the next few hours. I’ll be back this evening.

Sorry that I haven’t been as active lately, after the player I’d been tunnelling all game flipped town I got a little dejected and I haven’t had as much motivation for solving the game.

@Arete

@WindwardAway

So, we should probably talk about how Arete harddefended DatBird and tried to stop him from being executed. Since DatBird was scum, I think Arete was powerwolfing.

yeah sorry about that >_> I felt pretty bad about it when I saw his flip, that one’s on me.

Look, I’m just saying, katze has made 30 posts all game and half of them have been joycats. If you don’t vote her, you’re going to feel pretty silly in postgame. There isn’t even a real reason to suspect me compared to her.

The following posts are NOT allowed:

@Arete

oh for fuck’s sake I hate how every time I play on this website I get suspected for NO REASON. all of you are like ‘ooOOoooOO arete posted a joycat they must be a wolf’ IF YOU WANT ME DEAD SO BADLY THEN KILL ME /vote Arete

yeah well thanks to your all’s shitty-ass pushes on me I’ve barely even been able to focus on my job. hope you’re happy, maybe think next time before you shade me.

your push on me literally made me cry irl

the fun part of playing mafia for me is vibing with my friends in the towncore, when y’all push me for no reason it’s really hard for me to have fun :/ I play this game for fun, not to be randomly accused for no reason. I just wish you would think before ruining the game for someone.

WHY IS EVERYONE JUST BLINDLY SHEEPING KATZE’S CASE ON ME, NO ONE IS LISTENING TO ANYTHING I’M SAYING YOU’RE JUST ALL SPAMMING “ARETE SUS” AND YOU CAN FUCK OFF WITH THAT TOXIC BULLSHIT. THIS IS THE WORST TOWN I’VE PLAYED WITH IN MY ENTIRE TIME PLAYING FM. I HATE ALL OF YOU.

it’s pretty ridiculous that you’re still suspecting me after how emotional I got on day 4 … I would never fake an outburst like that as mafia and I think anyone who would fake something like that is a horrible person.

Things to do instead

We want to make it clear that we are not saying that it’s not okay to get emotional. Many of us put a lot into the game, and it can be frustrating when things don’t go our way. We’re just restricting what you can say about that in the thread. With that being said, here are some things you can consider doing, if the game is frustrating you:

• If the reason you’re upset is because another player is breaking the rules (e.g. by being toxic), you can report them to the hosts or mods. We try to watch games, but sometimes we don’t see things right away (or at all), and reporting them when they happen is the best way to make sure they get taken care of.
• If you’re feeling frustrated, it’s okay to take a break from the game until you’re calmer. There’s nothing wrong with just stepping away for a bit.
• If you need someone to talk to, you can vent in your rolecard about your frustrations, or message a moderator (as long as they are not a player or replacement).
• If you’re noticing that mafia games regularly have a negative effect on your mental health, it may be a good idea to stop joining games for a little while. When you sign up for a game, you are implicitly accepting that other players in the game might scumread you (even if you or they are town), that people might ignore your reads even when those reads are correct, and that you might be misexecuted. It’s okay to be frustrated by those things, but if you aren’t willing to accept those possibilities and refrain from excessive ATE, you should consider taking a break from mafia until you’re in a better mental position.

[Chloe]

Effective immediately, discussing usage of the flag and ignore features during a game is against the rules (Rule #3), as it invites angleshooting.

Additionally, flagging a post will no longer inform the flagged user or hide the post; it will only privately notify the staff members who aren’t in the game.

[Magnus]

Hosting Guidelines - October 6th, 2023

As the current procedure for processing replacements can encourage angleshooting, we have decided to update the following policy:

Depending on the circumstances, the host may choose to make a new rolecard for the replacement, or can add the new player to the original rolecard, and remove the replaced player.

This section has been altered, and the policy now reads:

@Chloe

The host should make a new rolecard for the replacement and include a history of all previously submitted actions and feedback, if applicable. The host may add the new player to any existing private chats as appropriate, and remove the replaced player.

Effective immediately, game hosts will be expected to create a new rolecard for any replacements and include a record of their slot’s previously submitted actions and feedback, rather than adding them to the substituted player’s rolecard. Furthermore, a new replacement should be added to any existing private chats that presently contained their slot (such as neighbourhoods, masonries or Mafia chat), as appropriate. A replaced player should be subsequently removed from the aforementioned chats.

[Chloe]

Rule 13 Update - April 3rd, 2024

Old rule

Do not use or develop AI programs to assist you in playing forum games. This includes the use of any sources of provable randomness in the thread such as public Discobot use.

NEW RULE:

Do not use banned third-party programs to assist you in playing forum games, and do not discuss the use of unapproved programs during games.

A list of approved and banned third-party programs can be found here:

Approved & Banned Third-Party Programs