The Forum Rules

The Forum Rules
Updated: 15 December, 2007


Firstly, we would like to welcome you to the forum. Since you're reading this, you must be wondering about the rules and what happens if you happen to break them. These rules are here to make the forum a better place for everyone. We're generally an easy-going forum, but you really need to follow these rules, and if you do, you'll be fine.

Basic Rules

These are the very basic rules of the forum.



Spamming*
Spamming is pretty much just a post or thread that doesn't add any content to the forum. This includes the posting of 1-word, 1-smiley posts, or useless topics like "omg me just gots haxx3d! G1mm3 $$!" This is not allowed. One-word posts also include ratings for other forum member's work. If you would like to rate another's work, please add your comments as well.
If you happen to see a topic or reply that you think may be SPAM, please report it to a moderator or an admin.

• Hijacking is also considered a form of spam. When you use another member's thread to advertise your own effects, it is unfair to the member whose thread you hijacked. Hijacking posts will be deleted for spam.
  

Note: One-word posts are only appropriate if allowed under the discretion of topics in the Fun 'N Games lounge. If a thread does not call for the need of one-word posts, then those would be considered spam. For games that allow a quick one-word response, then only then is that an exception to the rule.

Flaming*
Don't flame people on the forum; this will NOT be tolerated. This includes anything from making fun of someone to making physical threats. Anything that could be hurtful to another member should not be posted.

Discrimination*
Any form of discrimination will NOT be tolerated. This goes for insulting anyone's religious, sexual or other personal beliefs. Severe punishments will be dealt out for this kind of behavior.

Accusations
If you believe that any member of this community has been hacking or scamming, please DO NOT post on the forum. PM an Admin or Moderator with proof so that we can take action (if the evidence is conclusive). If we determine that the "evidence" has been falsified, action will be taken against the person falsifiying his claims.

Swearing*
Swearing is not allowed on this forum, and if you're caught using inappropriate language, you will receive a warning.
This includes attempting to evade the language filter that is set in place.

Rudeness*
Being rude to any Mod, Admin or Member will NOT be tolerated. It can cause arguments and flame wars, which will result in warning and suspensions to those involved.

Accounts
Members are permitted to have a maximum of ONE account per person. If you are found to have multiple accounts, ALL of them may be disabled.

Bumping
"Bumping" is when you make another post in order to bump your own thread to the top of the forum. It's also considered bumping if you post in an old topic. This is NOT allowed.
The exception to this rule is in the Market forums. There you'll notice that there is a "Bump" feature set in place, so that rather than posting to bump a thread, you can bump it yourself.
**An "old" thread is one that hasn't been posted in for 7 days.

Post in the Right Forum
Please be sure to post in the correct forum. There are descriptions under the title of each board, so please read them before posting. If you're not sure where to post, PM a Mod or Admin and we'll be happy to assist you.

Posting of Like-Topics
Before posting, check to make sure that there isn't a current topic on the same thing as you're posting about. You can use the Search Feature to look for similar topics.
If multiple topics of the same topic are posted, the one posted later will be closed.

Cross Posting
Cross Posting is when you post the same thread many times just to get attention. Doing this will result in your warn level increased and a possible suspension from the forum.

Double Posting
Double posting is when you post twice in the same topic, one post directly after the other. For example:

Post 1 (Member A): "Hey guys, how do I get a dragon spear?"
Post 2 (Member B): "You can get them from KBDs!"
Post 3 (Member B): "Or from Blue Dragons!"

The line in red could have just been added into the first post. Instead of double posting, please use the "Edit" button to add the content on to your first post.

Misleading Titles or Links
Posting any misleading topic titles, or links (even in signatures), only to get attention is not allowed. The title or link text must clearly show what the link or topic is about.

Linking
Any links posted must be somehow relevant to the topic. If any inappropriate content is on the linked page, the poster must give a warning stating so, and describing the nature of the content. Pornography and overly-violent images are still not allowed, even with a warning.

Illegal Content
The posting of any illegal content, including piracy, warez or other materials that are copyrighted is not allowed.

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Scam/Hack Sites
The posting of any website that attempts to scam, deceive or infect another member's computer with a virus/trojan/keylogger/malware will NOT be tolerated. Anyone who does this will be permanently banned from the forum, no exceptions.

Inappropriate Images
Do NOT post images (or links to images) that are vulgar, graphically obscene or otherwise inappropriate material. This will NOT be tolerated and will result in a permanent ban.
Requests for this type of material is not allowed either.

No inappropriate content is allowed in:

-Posts
-Signatures
-Avatars
-Personal Messages
-Blog Entries
-Blog Comments

Evading the Filters
Using spaces, dots, adding characters or any other method to evade the word censors put in place is not allowed.

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Advertising
Advertising another website, forum, or Runescape Clan Chat channel by making a thread or in forum posts is NOT allowed. It is also NOT allowed to send advertising PMs to any member of the forum. However, you MAY post a link to the site in your signature.
The exception to this is in the Clan forum, where ONLY the clan's website, forums and Runescape Clan Chat may be posted.

Plagiarism
All content, posts or comments made on this forum MUST be of your own! You must have permission from the creator if you're going to post their information or graphics, and a link to their website must be provided if you're using their text.

----Important: Often, members will rip things (pips, sigs) from this forum and use it on their own forum. This will not be tolerated. It is a copyright infringement, in which the board host may take action against. Even though permission is often asked to use our pips, we decline requests from everyone.

Begging
Posting and asking for free items in the game is not allowed. It's just SPAM and will be closed.

Minimum Post Count
Several forums may require that you have a certain number of posts before being able to start a new thread. Please read the requirements in the forum description if you get an error while trying to post in a forum.

Debating Rules
Any posts debating these rules or the actions of moderators will be removed immediately, without comment.

Evading a Ban
DO NOT attempt to evade a ban or suspension. You were obviously banned or suspended for a reason - don't make it worse. This includes making multiple accounts or using a different IP to gain access to the forum.

Warn Logs
DO NOT share your warn logs with other members of the forum.

Impersonating
Do not impersonate ANY other member of the community, or for that matter, do not impersonate ANYONE! This goes for signatures, avatars, posts, PMs or anywhere in your profile. Using a pip in your avatar of any rank other than yours is also prohibited and considered impersonating.

Complaining About Rules/Mods/Warns
This is not allowed...please don't post a thread complaining about these rules, or how you think a warn is unjust. Send a PM to an Admin (or the mod who warned you) if you have a comment.

Requesting to Be a Staff Member
DO NOT request to be a staff member. It will automatically disqualify you for being chosen! We will decide who and when to get new staff members.

If You See Someone Breaking the Rules
Please report the post by clicking on the "Report" button below their post. This ensures that the post will be seen by moderators and the appropriate action to be dealt.
Do not reply to posts that are breaking the rules, just report them instead.

Sticky rules are just as important!
Please make sure you read the stickies and follow those rules. Breaking any rules in the stickies are just the same as breaking any forum rule. Often, members may neglect to read the stickies, resulting in many locked topics. Please help us by going over these simple rules.

Stickies are located at the top of the forum topics, as shown below:



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*If you display any of these actions a considerable number of times consecutively that might suggest you do not wish to be a cooperative poster, you may be banned even if you do not have a warn level of seven.

Forum-Specific Rules

• If you have been hacked or scammed do not post it here. We cannot help you and you should consult Jagex. These topics are just totally spammy with the same exact thing. IE: Oh I am terribly sorry.. etc.
  
• Similarly, please do not make any threads complaining about having your character banned from RuneScape. There is absolutely nothing we can do about it. All you can do is send an appeal to Jagex.
  
• Remember to keep this in mind: "It is your own fault you were hacked or scammed." If you don't want to be hacked or scammed, simply do not click links and be cautious of whom you trade, and always check the second trade screen. It is up to you to be a responsible and safe player.
  
• You may NOT post topics or threads about famous people IF they contain gossip or spam. However, if a certain occurred concerning a player (high lvl players surpassing one another, death of a famous player, etc.), then only one topic may be allowed open. Spam is NOT ALLOWED. This includes RuneScape moderators, high-leveled players, rich people or any of the such. Remember to respect other individuals and keep these threads spam and flame free.
  
• Lately there have been many topics about autoers/macroers/bots/other ways used to gold farm created. While autoing is wrong and against the Runescape rules, simply posting a picture of suspected autoers is not going to help Jagex get rid of them. In a similar way, making a thread that states that autoers are found in place-x/on world-x or doing skill-x doesn't help Jagex or come up with an original-ish 'discussion' either. Just report them to Jagex; we all know they exist.
  
• There has recently been a surge in topics about being hacked and scammed. If you make a thread that is exclusively about you being hacked/scammed you will be warned. No questions asked. Yes, this is harsh, but the spam these topics create is tiring. Change your password and update your recovery questions, don't come crying to us.
  

Generally, you should post your question in an understandable way. Read through it once or twice before you post it. Be specific in your needs, skills, and otherwise. After it has been answered, simply edit the title to say "closed" or something similar, or just report your own post [which works better, and don't worry, it won't put you in trouble], so that the mods know that your question has been answered.
Specifically, this is where you ask about how to do quests, where to train, what monsters drop what and so on. You also ask for price checks here, NOT in the Marketplace Forum.
-This forum is ONLY for RUNESCAPE related questions, no real life or computer questions.
Please note also that this forum is not for asking questions that would be discussion-like. An example would be:
~How many CW tickets do you have?
~What's your favorite skill?
~Etc.
These such topics go in General Discussion. Keep this forum for asking questions where you need help.

• Only post REAL events that will happen. Fake posts will be deleted and you will receive an official warning.
  
• Do not ask for free stuff, and no begging.
  
• Clearly state the Time, Place, Server and anything else that is required for the event (clothing, PKing gear, etc.).
  
• Any event topics that say "Come NOW, HURRY!!!!" will be locked on sight. I and many other users will not tolerate any more events like that, and before you set up an event, try making the Event 5 days after you post the notice. Five days is the minimum amount. There is the "Quick Events" subforum for that.
  
• Make your event clear and to the point. Use this form as an example:
  CODE
  Date: June 6
  Time: 9pm Eastern Time
  Server/World: 76
  Place: Falador Park
  
• Be sure to include what activities are going on and any rules that need to be followed (ie; no tele-grabbing items, no running, etc)
  
• Clan Events - If your clan is having an event and your posting it in the 'Events Board' it automatically becomes a clan public event. In other words, anyone can join. If you do not want your clan events to be public, please post them in the 'Forum Clans' board (or avoid posting!)
  
• Flaming - Flaming is strictly against the rules. If if the party was a disaster it doesn't mean you start an 11 page flame topic against anyone who ruined it.
  
• RuneScape Events Only - Sal's Forum no longer supports any RuneScape-Classic events.
  
• Do NOT say "Mods, Please Sticky This" We decide if we want it stickied, not you.
  
• After any event, please do NOT make bad rant comments.
  
• No "to-be-decided" dates, please. Post only when you've decided on a time and date.
  
• No parties that will be held more than two months later!
  

For the "Quick Events" sub-board:

• Your event must be posted at least 30 minutes in advance.
  
• The event should take place within the current day, or in the 24 hours immediately after the post.
  

• Please only post if you have a picture. Any topics without screenshots will be closed, and repeated offences will be treated as spam.
  
• The content of the picture you're posting must be appropriate; no profanity, vulgarity, even in graphic form (i.e.: minimap with objects on the ground forming letters). Any post violating this rule will be closed and the offender possibly warned.
  
• If you post a picture that you did not take/make, you must acknowledge the original artist. Otherwise, it is considered plagiarism and you will be warned.
  
• Keep topics concerning famous players out of these boards. These kinds of topics generally build up a lot of spam and flame, and there is a stickied thread for famous players sightings in the Other Screenshots board.
  

• Unlike the other parts of the forum, bumping your thread is allowed in this board. But you should bump only when you need to; bumping more than needed is unfair to other traders.
  
• Please do not critize posters pricing of their goods. When someone is trying to sell something, you should not spam their post by saying “Your price is way too high!” If their price is high, you can tell them in a private message.
  
• If your merchandise has sold, or if you have bought the item, please change your topic title to "Close" or "Please Close" and possibly report your topic, so that moderators can act rapidly and efficiently.
  
• If you have any Questions, price checks, or anything other than to do with buying and selling, please post them in the Questions forum.
  
• Post only REAL trades. Fake trades for any purpose (such as price manipulation, etc.) will not be tolerated.
  

Refer to the individual sub-forums to see their particular rules.

• Do NOT make topics with your personal pictures here, put them in the "Pics Of Yourself" topic, pinned in the "General Chat" subforum.
  
• Topics related to Sports are considered Entertainment and therefore belong in the Entertainment subforum.
  
• Religious/Atheist flaming is not allowed.
  

• Respect each other's opinions and thoughts about topics, even if they are different from yours.
  
• Please keep the topics at a PG-13 level.
  
• Please do not call someone an 'idiot' or something along those lines if they don't agree with your opinions.
  
• Please do not harass the person via PM if he/she disagrees with you.
  
• Remember that this is a healthy debate, don't hold grudges against the person. If the person has offended you, try and explain that you are offended in a proper manner, nothing like: 'oh my gosh you offended me I am going to kill you!!!!!'
  
• If there are any problems, contact a mod.
  
• Remember that there may not be a right or wrong answer/opinion to some topics.
  
• Lastly, any opinions you make should be of your own opinion and please try and understand that you could be right or wrong on those opinions.
  

General Guidelines

• Before writing, check the submissions board and the quest section on the site to make sure that a guide has not already been started or finished.
  
• We will not accept guides that are stolen from other sites. If you steal someone's guide, you WILL be banned from the forum.
  
• We will not accept guides that have numerous mistakes and cannot be easily read. They must be quality guides, so if you have grammar/spelling problems, seek out help from other members of the forum for spellcheck / proofreading.
  
• The guide must be accurate. If you purposely submit incorrect info, your guide will not be used.
  
• Remember, guides are chosen for content, good grammar and punctuation, high quality pictures and for having the best information. If there are multiple guides for the same topic, the guide determined to be the "best" will be used.
  
• Guides that have been "abandoned" or otherwise left incomplete for a period of two weeks without letting us know will result in your guide being removed from the submission section. this allows someone else to write a complete guide. If you do not intend on completing a guide and taking comments from other members, please do not write a guide.
  
• Picture formats should be in .PNG format. This format ensures the highest quality picture without distortion, and a good filesize.
  

Quest Guides

1. Like all guides, quest guides have a specific format that should be followed when writing the guide. Guides should include:

• Quest Start location
  
• Required Skills and quests
  
• Any items needed to complete the quest.
  
• Recommended skills, quests and items are also helpful
  
• In-depth details for the quest - obscure instructions are not acceptable.
  
• Pictures of items and important NPCs/scenes in the quest - all pictures should be in .PNG format.
  
• Maps, if possible.
  
• In-depth rewards.
  
• A picture of the reward scroll.
  

2. The first thing in your guide should be the exact quote from the quest page in the RuneScape.com manual, stating the description, requirements and start point.

3. Next should be a listing of credits, if anyone helped you with the quest or info. Everyone that helped write the guide deserves credit.

4. After that should be a listing of items needed in the quest, in list format.

5. The actual walkthrough. Be as complete and specific as possible. Remember to use good grammar, capitals when needed, and punctuation. Guides that don't make sense will NOT be used.

6. The rewards section goes last. Include a picture of the reward scroll, and list out the rewards such as items, gold and experience, as well as abilities or new places you can access.

Location Guides

Location Guides should include:

1. A map of the city - use the Java version of the RuneScape map and zoom in at 75%. Mark specific important parts of the city using colored circles or number them as you prefer.

2. If the city or location is an island or an untravelled place, include a short paragraph on how to get there.

3. Main attractions of the city - include quest start points and all of the important places in the city or place. Don't forget pictures!

4. Shops - try and include these separate from the "attractions" section. Include a picture of what is being sold, and the price of each item.

5. People/NPCs - include the characters that you'll find wandering around here. A picture of their face would be great!

6. Monsters - List out any monsters around the city/location, as well as their level.

7. Nearby Locations (if applicable) - a quick description of nearby places would be helpful, but it is not required.

Dungeon Guides

All guides should contain:

1. A "Getting There" section - explaining how exactly to get to the dungeon, where it's located and anything else that may be helpful.

2. A map - Label all major areas (if any exist), and include monster or item spawns.

3. A section about the dungeon, include the entrance, any main rooms and other important info about the dungeon.

4. An "inhabitants" section - list any monsters, their levels, and take a picture of them for the guide.

The Warn System

This forum uses a system called the "Rating System" for dealing with both punishments and good deeds. You'll notice that to the left of your posts you'll see an indicator in the format of -7 ( # ) 7, as you can see here:

Everyone starts off with a 0 rating, which will show up as an empty ( ). Your rating will improve as you submit guides, help other members of the forum, and make good posts. That's all there is to it! But if you break the rules, your rating will get worse.

• -7: this is the best possible rating you can have.
  
• ( # ): this is your current warning. Negative is good, positive is bad.
  
• 7: this is a VERY bad warn level, which means you're getting banned from the forum.
  

Remember, having a negative rating is good, and a positive one is bad.

Notes About the Warn System:

• Warns are given out based on the severity of the action (obviously, worse offenses will mean that multiple warns will be given). It is up to the moderator's discretion as to how many warns will be given.
  
• Any member may be warned for breaking the rules if the collective group of moderators sees fit.
  
• Moderators reserve the right to place any member on post moderation if they see fit. This means that your post must be previewed by a moderator before being shown.
  

Your warning level is not permanent and may be decreased over time. If you post meaningful and helpful posts, help members and have a positive attitude, your warning level may be decreased back to 0. After at least a month, if you feel that you deserve a warn reduction (if you currently have a POSITIVE warn like +2), please request a warn review from any moderator or admin. We will investigate the matter and review your past posts and behavior and decide if you deserve a warn reduction

YOU MAY NOT ASK FOR A NEGATIVE WARN (SUCH AS -1)!

Negative warns are handed out as the staff sees fit, for posting guides and other helpful information, making useful posts, following the rules on a regular basis, and otherwise being a good forumer.

Note*: Although members are usually only banned when their warn level reaches level 7, you can be banned if you display several consecutive actions that display your unwillingness to cooperate with the rest of community. For example, four consecutive flames can actually be enough for a ban consideration. So just remember to not just post favorably when you have a postive warn level, but all the time (so you don't even get a positive warn level in the first place).

Signatures And Avatars

Your avatar and signature must comply with the rules below:

Signatures:

Your signature may contain any amount of text (including links), spacing or images, as long as it fits within an area of 500x200 pixels. This means that you can have multiple lines of text or multiple images, but they must not total up to the posted limit. The filesize of any images in your signature must not total up to be any larger than 60kb.

Here is an example of the TOTAL size of a signature:



**Since any oversized signatures will scroll, it is acceptable to have a few extra lines of text, or a slightly taller or wider image. The filesize of all images must not exceed 60kb. If you insert a great deal of line breaks and add in a pointless message at the bottom, it will be removed and you WILL be warned. This goes for any signatures that are severely oversized. Just because signatures scroll, it doesn't mean that you can have unlimited space!

Signatures may NOT contain any content that is against the forum rules, including discriminatory or hurtful images or text, malicious or misleading links, or otherwise inappropriate content. Moderators have the right to remove ANY signature that they believe is inappropriate for any reason, without question. If you give a link to a page that would be considered inappropriate normally on the forum, you must provide a substantial warning stating so, along with describing the nature of the content. Pornography or overly-violent images are still not allowed, even with a warning.

You may NOT use anyone else's signature as your own without their express permission. Do NOT steal anyone's work or take credit for it.

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Avatars:

An avatar is a small picture that represents you on the forum. It can be anything, as long as it is appropriate and does not break any forum or Jagex rules.

Avatar Size - Avatars should be no bigger than 120x120 pixels, with a filesize that is no more than 25kb. This applies to both avatars hosted here AND avatars hosted on a different server.

Avatars also made not be used to display pips for any rank other than that of any said member (Ex. a forum member is not allowed to use an administrator pip as their avatar). This is considered impersonation and will not be tolerated.

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Avatar and Signature Content:

Any content in your signature or avatar must comply with ALL forum and Jagex rules. Hurtful or obscene content will result in a warn level increase, possible suspension and your profile to be LOCKED.

RuneScape Rules

Some of the RuneScape rules will also be enforced here on this forum. If you break these rules, you will be warned or banned, depending on the severity of the action. These are the rules we're enforcing:

QUOTE(Rule 1)
You must not use any language which may be considered by others to be offensive, racist or obscene.


QUOTE(Rule 2)
You must not scam or deceive other players.

Lying to other players for your own personal gain is not in the spirit of the game.


QUOTE(Rule 3)
Asking/trying to persuade another player to give you their password for any reason is against the rules and will not be tolerated.


QUOTE(Rule 5)
You should not attempt to impersonate Jagex staff in any way, for any reason.


QUOTE(Rule 6)
You may not sell, transfer or lend your account to anyone else, or permit anyone else to use your account, and you may not accept an account that anybody else offers you.


QUOTE(Rule 7)
You must not use other programs to gain an unfair advantage in the game. This includes automation tools, macros, bots, auto-typers. You may not circumvent any of our mechanisms designed to automatically log out inactive users. You also must not use a third party RuneScape client which encourages breaking of our rules, or endangers user accounts.


QUOTE(Rule 9)
You must not encourage others to break any of the RuneScape rules.


QUOTE(Rule 12)
RuneScape items must only be exchanged for other items/services within the game.
Exchanging RuneScape items for items or other benefits in other online games, real-life money or other real-life benefits is not allowed.


QUOTE(Rule 13)
For our players' privacy and safety, you must not ask for personal contact details such as full name, home address or telephone number from another player.


QUOTE
Messages sent to you by Jagex are strictly confidential and are intended only for the owner of the account to which they are sent. The contents of these messages must not be disclosed to any other person or copies taken.