Discord Server Rules

Source: DarkstarDiscordRules.md

Darkstar Server Code

Preamble

This Server Code governs conduct on the official Darkstar Discord server. It applies to every person present on the server, regardless of alliance membership. It complements, and does not replace, the Darkstar Constitution and the Government Code of Conduct.

Order of precedence: Constitution > Government Code of Conduct > Server Code. In case of conflict between documents, the higher document prevails.

Title I: Jurisdiction and Persons

Article 1: Scope

  1. This Code applies to all conduct occurring on the Darkstar Discord server, including text channels, voice channels, direct messages initiated through the server, and screen-sharing sessions.
  2. Conduct occurring outside the server (other Discord servers, in-game, forums) may still be sanctioned under this Code when it directly harms Darkstar or its members, such as leaking server content, poaching, or harassment of members.

Article 2: Categories of Persons

For the purposes of this Code, persons on the server fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Members: Nations enrolled in the Darkstar alliance in Politics and War, including applicants.
  2. Government: Members holding a government position. Government is additionally bound by the Government Code of Conduct, which prevails for matters of governance.
  3. Diplomats: Representatives of foreign alliances present under diplomatic status.
  4. Guests: Any other external person present on the server.

Article 3: Consequence of Category

  1. All categories are bound by the same conduct rules (Title II).
  2. Sanctions differ by category (Title IV), because the alliance holds enforcement power over Members that it does not hold over Diplomats and Guests.
  3. Diplomats benefit from diplomatic consideration: sanctions against a Diplomat should, when practical, be preceded or accompanied by notification to their alliance's leadership.

Title II: Conduct Rules

Article 4: External Rules

  1. Discord's Community Guidelines and Terms of Service apply at all times.
  2. The Politics and War game rules apply at all times.
  3. A violation of either constitutes a violation of this Code.

Article 5: Respect and Civility

  1. Harassment, hate speech, personal attacks, discriminatory remarks, and sustained toxicity are prohibited.
  2. Heated debate on game politics is permitted. Attacks on the person are not.

Article 6: Privacy and Personal Safety

  1. Doxxing, publishing or threatening to publish real-life information about any person, is prohibited and constitutes a critical offense.
  2. Recording or redistributing voice chats without consent of the participants is prohibited.

Article 7: Operational Security

  1. Sharing Darkstar-sensitive information (battle plans, bank records, internal channels content, member intelligence) outside authorized channels is prohibited and constitutes a critical offense.
  2. Voice chats and screen-sharing in strategy channels require prior moderator approval.
  3. Access to restricted channels implies acceptance of confidentiality regarding their content.

Article 8: Communication Integrity

  1. Spamming, flooding, disruptive mass pings (@everyone, @here, role pings without cause), and ghost pings are prohibited.
  2. Channels must be used according to their designated purpose.

Article 9: Content Standards

  1. NSFW content, gore, and content promoting illegal activity are prohibited.
  2. This applies to messages, attachments, usernames, avatars, and status messages.

Article 10: Alliance Exclusivity and Anti-Poaching

  1. Promoting or recruiting for other alliances on the server is prohibited without written leadership approval.
  2. Directly messaging Darkstar members to recruit them into another alliance constitutes a critical offense and results in an immediate permanent ban, with diplomatic escalation to the offender's alliance where applicable.

Article 11: Accounts

  1. Unauthorized alternate accounts are prohibited.
  2. Each person is responsible for all activity under their account, including in case of compromise. Report a compromised account to moderation immediately.

Article 12: Dispute Conduct

  1. Public arguments degrading channel usability are prohibited.
  2. Disputes with another person on the server shall be raised privately with a moderator.
  3. Disputes with a moderation decision follow the appeal procedure (Title V).

Title III: Classification of Offenses

Article 13: Grades

  1. Minor: Isolated incivility, off-topic flooding, misuse of pings, first-time low-impact violations.
  2. Moderate: Repeated minor offenses, sustained disruption, disrespect toward moderation, unauthorized voice recording, minor content violations.
  3. Severe: Harassment, hate speech, NSFW or illegal content, unauthorized alternate accounts, unauthorized recruitment promotion, deliberate circumvention of a sanction.
  4. Critical: Doxxing, leaking Darkstar-sensitive information, poaching of members, threats against a person, actions endangering the alliance's security or existence.

Article 14: Aggravating Factors

The following raise an offense by one grade:

  1. Recidivism after a formal warning.
  2. Holding a government position at the time of the offense.
  3. Premeditation or coordination with other offenders.
  4. Targeting a person based on a protected characteristic.

Title IV: Sanctions

Article 15: Sanctions Applicable to All Persons

Available to moderators against any person on the server:

  1. Verbal warning (logged).
  2. Formal warning (logged, counts toward recidivism).
  3. Timeout or mute, up to 7 days.
  4. Restriction of channel access.
  5. Kick from the server.
  6. Temporary ban.
  7. Permanent ban.

Article 16: Additional Sanctions Applicable to Members

Because Members are subject to alliance authority, the following additional sanctions may be imposed by leadership upon moderation referral:

  1. Removal of server roles or in-game privileges.
  2. Suspension or removal from alliance programs (grants, city funding, etc.).
  3. Demotion or removal from government position, under the procedures of the Government Code of Conduct.
  4. Expulsion from the alliance.
  5. In-game enforcement measures, at leadership's discretion, for critical offenses.

Article 17: Handling of Diplomats and Guests

  1. Since no alliance-level sanction can reach a Diplomat or Guest, server-level sanctions (Article 15) apply directly and may skip tiers more readily than for Members.
  2. For offenses committed by a Diplomat, moderation shall inform alliance leadership, which may notify the Diplomat's alliance and request accountability through diplomatic channels.
  3. A critical offense by a Diplomat or Guest results in an immediate permanent ban. Diplomatic consequences are decided by leadership.

Article 18: Escalation

  1. Standard progression: verbal warning, formal warning, mute, kick, temporary ban, permanent ban.
  2. Severe and critical offenses may skip tiers, up to immediate permanent ban.
  3. All sanctions above a verbal warning must be logged with the offender's name, the article violated, the evidence, and the sanctioning moderator.

Title V: Moderation and Due Process

Article 19: Moderation Team

  1. A dedicated moderation team enforces this Code. Moderators are appointed and removed by alliance leadership.
  2. Moderators hold enforcement authority over all persons on the server, including Members of higher alliance rank, within the limits of this Code.
  3. Sanctions against government members for governance matters remain governed by the Government Code of Conduct. Sanctions against government members for server conduct fall under this Code.
  4. A moderator involved in a dispute shall not moderate that dispute.

Article 20: Evidence and Logging

  1. Sanctions must rest on identifiable evidence: messages, screenshots, logs.
  2. Moderation actions are recorded in a moderation log accessible to the moderation team and leadership.

Article 21: Appeals

  1. Members may appeal any sanction above a verbal warning to alliance leadership within 7 days. Leadership's decision is final.
  2. Diplomats may appeal through their alliance's diplomatic channel to Darkstar leadership.
  3. Guests may appeal a permanent ban once, by written request to leadership, no earlier than 30 days after the ban.
  4. An appeal does not suspend the sanction.

Article 22: Emergency Powers

  1. In case of active raid, mass leak, or coordinated attack on the server, moderators may lock channels, mass-remove accounts, and take any measure necessary to protect the server without prior process.
  2. Emergency actions must be reported to leadership within 24 hours and reviewed afterward.

Title VI: Final Provisions

Article 23: Amendment

  1. This Code may be amended by alliance leadership after consultation of the moderation team.
  2. Amendments affecting sanctions against government members require notification to the government under the Government Code of Conduct.
  3. Substantive changes shall be announced on the server. Continued presence on the server constitutes acceptance of the current version.

Article 24: Entry into Force

This Code takes effect upon publication by alliance leadership and replaces the previous Server Rules.

Effective Date: 25th of July, 2026