**ignorantia legis neminem excusat** - //Ignorance of the law excuses no one//

====== Rules Preamble ======

The rules are relatively straight forward and require no leap of imagination.  We impose no rule on players that we expect to be challenging to follow.

For the most part, all we ask is for you to think before you act.  Behave with an appropriate level of maturity and respect and you find that other players respect you back.

This is not a perfect list of every single rule.  Use common sense and do not try to justify an action simply by stating it is not specifically prohibited here.

===== General Rules =====

  * Do not troll.
  * Do not insult other players - interact in a way that is respectful of other users.
  * Do not attempt to take advantage of a loophole in the website or game.  If you find one, report it.
  * Do not imitate or impersonate developers or admins.
  * Do not attempt to avoid a ban, warning, or mute.  If banned, you will not be welcome unless you have been granted an [[rules:punishments#unban_request_rules|unban]].
  * Do not harbour rule breakers.  If you know someone is breaking the rules, report them to an Admin or Developer.  If you don't report, you are acting as an accomplice.
  * Do not act as a “back-seat admin” when an admin is already handling the situation.  Admins will ask for help or information if they need it.
  * There will be zero tolerance for discrimination. Respect everyone, regardless of their race, religion, nationality, age, gender, or sexual orientation, in-game level. This list is not exhaustive.

===== Gameplay Rules =====

  * Do not [[rules:glitching|glitch]].
  * Do not use inappropriate character names. This may include particularly immature or vulgar names.
  * Do not spam or flood the chat feed.
  * Do not demand that players die.
  * Do not tell people to leave a server - these are __public__ servers that everyone can join.
  * Do not try to wipe the team by repeatedly killing last, spamming tomes, or destroying equipment.
  * Do not destroy or waste other people's barricades and equipment - if the team dies to a lack of defences, they will blame you.
  * Do not blatantly waste your own support items.  There is leniency if you are actually trying to help the team but there is no excuse for intentionally hindering it.
  * Do not remain afk/inactive for extended periods of time.  Frequent offences will be noticed and dealt with.
  * Do not play on more than one copy of Warband at a time.
  * Do not use macros for things such as shielding or slashing.
  * Do not post fake loot messages in the game chat. Someone will inevitably believe they looted something and we will have to go figure out why their loot disappeared.
  * Do make a reasonable effort to support the team.  Do not use low-tier equipment as an excuse to not contribute to the team (especially as a high-tier player).
  * If you are going to wear low-tier armour, be careful not to cause other Swadians to get friendly fire from hitting you.

===== Forum Rules =====

  * Flaming or abusing users in any way will not be tolerated.
  * Think about what you are writing. If it is witty, will not cause offense, and is in the relevant section of the forum; fine. Otherwise there is a low tolerance for trolls.
  * Keep your posts constructive and relevant to the thread.
  * By all means, express your opinion; just express it in a rational manner that is designed to engage other players and not enrage them.
  * Members should post in a way which is considered “normal writing”. Posts should not include excessive numbers of emoticons; excessive large, small, or coloured text; excessive punctuation (e.g. ! and ?) [or none]; or excessive use of all-caps (which indicates SHOUTING).  By all means, use the the formatting features (they are there to be used) - just think before you post!
  * Commercial spam is not tolerated here under any circumstance. This includes offering hosting services (charged and free), installation services, solicitation, etc.
  * Picture spam and duplicate posting is also prohibited.  Please be respectful of other users’ bandwidth and use the spoiler tag where applicable.  Users posting spam will be warned and their post removed.
  * If a moderator has closed down previous topics on the same subject, be sensible and do not start a similar thread under a new title. This is likely to end up with the same players making the same posts as before and will encourage the wrath of the moderators.
  * Do not make posts of "+1".  If you wish to support an idea, use words.
  * If you wish to lodge a complaint against a member of the admin team, contact someone in [[http://forum.nordinvasion.com/index.php?action=viewgroups&gid=24|Dev & Ops]]. Do not create a forum topic.
  * Avoid posting on inactive/dead posts (aka necro-posting) as information could be irrelevant or outdated.
  * If you see a rule in this guide being broken, please use the "Report" button located at the bottom-right of the post.  Do not respond to it yourself.

===== Trading Rules =====

  * Do not insult other people's pricing opinions.
  * Do not make an offer you do not intend to honour.
  * Do not list an item you do not actually own.
  * Do not list the same item in multiple threads.
  * Do not ask for or offer real money in your posts.
  * Do not ask for or offer items outside of the mod in your posts.
  * Do not bump your threads less than 20 hours from the last post.  Make sure to also remove your old bumps so it is easier to read the offers.  If you need to update your thread, edit the first post.  Posting an "updated" message counts as a bump.
  * Once the item is sold or purchased, lock the thread.  This makes it easier to see which offers are still active and which are not.
  * Limit the number of active posts per board to up to three - one WTB, one WTS, and one WTT.
  * If you have multiple offers that fall into the same category, group them in one WTB, WTS, or WTT thread.

For your own good, do not accept your side of the trade until you are happy with the other person's side of the trade. If you split payment into multiple trades, you open yourself up to claims that no second payment was ever promised.

Lending items is at your own risk.  It is your job to document your loans.  With proper evidence, thieves will be punished but we cannot guarantee you will get all your items back.  Make sure you trust the person before you lend anything.

When accepting a gift, it is recommended that the person receiving the items keep some proof that the items were a gift and not a loan.  This could save a lot of trouble later.  

Trading NordInvasion items for anything outside the mod is discouraged and posting such offers on the forum or on our servers is prohibited.

===== Etiquette =====

This game emphasizes teamwork and the co-operation of players to unite against the impending Nordic hoard. There might be differences between players who do not agree, however. This might be the internet but you are playing together as a team.  Insulting others or behaving rudely could easily get you labelled as a troll.

  * Do not discourage new players.  They are the future of the mod.
  * Do not encourage trolls.
  * Do not annoy other players for better weapons - ask politely.
  * Do not make a house recruitment message more than once per round - let your skill and behaviour as a player speak for the house.
  * You may encourage teamwork but do not force it.
  * Swearing a bit at yourself or at the bots is alright but do NOT swear excessively or at other players.
  * Please try to speak English when holding conversations in NordInvasion's Warband servers.  If we get a report of abusive language not in English, we unfortunately often cannot always determine the validity of the report.
  * If you need to step away for a short while, say so.  This might avoid a misunderstanding where you seem to be gone for a long while.  (For longer periods of time, please leave the server.  With 16 people per server, every spot counts.)
  * Trading NordInvasion items for anything outside of the mod, such as real life money, is strongly discouraged. Any posts or conversations regarding external trades are prohibited, including but not limited to: in games, the forum, Teamspeak & Discord.

===== Other Sections ======

[[rules:glitching|Glitching]]\\
[[rules:houses|Houses]]\\
[[rules:punishments|Punishments & Unban Requests]]\\