These rules represent the standards we expect from everyone using our platforms, be it in-game, on our forums, or in our Discord server. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with these rules! Our moderation team will be enforcing them across our platforms, and failure to comply with any of them may result in actions being taken, up to and including bans from individual platforms or all of them together.
Section One - The Golden Rules and Staff Rights
1.) The Golden Rule - Be respectful and considerate to those around you! Remember that on the other side of the screen is another human being reading what you've posted. Keep that in mind, and enjoy yourself while behaving!
2.) Episode Spoilers/leaks - Not everyone will have had the chance to view the latest episode at the same time of the same day as you; keep that in mind when discussing the new episodes. This also covers any leaked information; such materials should not be discussed. On our forum, any discussion of events that happen in the episodes/movies (whether they have been released or revealed in leaks) is to be contained spoiler tag until the Monday after the episode has aired, or one week after the movie has released; in the game and on our Discord forum, these materials should not be discussed until that same timeframe has passed.
3.) Moderators have the final say - While these rules cover the most common situations, there are situations and circumstances where they do not. As such, we reserve the right to take any action that we deem necessary to ensure that the game and forum rules are not disputed or abused in any way. We also reserve the right to ban anyone who willfully violates these rules.
Section Two - General Conduct
4.) No Rule Lawyering - Attempting to enforce the rules as a user, whilst generally a nice gesture, is prohibited. It's not the user's job to enforce these rules among their fellow users; this is akin to "vigilante justice." If you spot someone breaking a rule, report them in the Moderation Corner using the provided template, and let the moderators handle it.
5.) No Spamming - 'Ignorant', 'pointless', and 'annoying messages' basically sums up what spamming is. It isn't necessary to have your name on the front page for every single thread on the forums, or constantly on-screen in our Discord server, or filling the chatbox in the game. In forum threads, try to stay on topic; do not post things that aren't relevant to the topic at hand. Your POST COUNT has absolutely no meaning to it.
a.) Any forum threads created in order to notify the public of anyone's projected absence from the forums and/or game, whether temporary or permanent, will be regarded as spam. If a user feels a need to notify one or more individuals about an upcoming absence of either themselves or anyone, they are encouraged to do so via private messages, or by posting information in a pre-existing topic regarding said parties in the "Introductions" board.
6.) No Trolling - Trolling is the act of deliberately annoying someone to the point of making them angry, or starting an unnecessary flame war. Do not do this, at all.
7.) No Advertising - Legends of Equestria is not an advertising platform. If you want to show off your work, and direct people to where they can see more of it (for example, pony artwork), that's perfectly fine, so long as it's suitably safe-for-work; similarly, if people express an interest in commissions, that is fine as well. We are not, however, a place to advertise a commercial product. Moderators will decide on a case-by-case basis whether a specific instance goes against this rule.
8.) No Obscenity - We require everyone to observe and maintain common sensitivity and a sense of decency across our platforms. This includes:
a.) No racist, bigoted, vulgar, or distasteful language.
b.) No adult situations in any portion of the site. This includes non-public areas.
c.) Gore is strongly prohibited. This is a family-friendly site where people of all ages venture.
d.) Weapons can only be used as props.
9.) No Flaming / Arguing - Intelligent public debate is welcomed, however the moment your post contains insults or personal attacks, you are in violation of this rule and your post will be removed immediately. These will not be tolerated on our platforms. We expect everyone to treat each other in a way which they, themselves, want to be treated, and that is with respect.
10.) Do not harass anyone - Harassment in any form is taken seriously. Do not do it under any circumstances; attacking, badgering, and repeatedly disturbing members is not only rude, but not allowed. Threatening other members will result in an instant ban.
11.) Inappropriate usernames are prohibited - Usernames can not be offensive, derogatory, or vulgar. If you register with a distasteful username, you will be asked to change it. If you refuse, moderation action may be taken; in addition, a staff member will change it for you. We are a family-friendly forum and game.
12.) Don't abuse platform features - there are features available on each of our platforms (e.g. in-game emotes, url / video implementation on Discord, moving text on our forum, etc.). Do not abuse these features by spamming them.
13.) Avoid sensitive material at all costs - Topics such as sexuality, religion, and politics have a well-earned reputation for getting heated pretty quickly. Do not attempt to talk about such things, or ever bring them up. Avoid posting anything like sexual orientation, religious standpoints, or political standpoints in any threads, discussions, personal text, and/or signatures. Our platforms are not a place for this.
a.) Do not, under any circumstances, bring up "personal issues". You can talk about said issues in private/direct messages, but please do not burden the public space with your heavy baggage.
14.) Limited personal information such as Skype usernames, Discord IDs, etc. are allowed to be shared. Please note, however, that Legends of Equestria is not responsible for anything that happens in private Discord conversations, over Skype messages, etc. Personal information such as real names, addresses, phone numbers, Facebook links, and pictures of yourself should not be shared.
15.) Controversial Posts - If you believe something is controversial, questionable, or otherwise against the rules, do not post it!
16.) No inappropriate outgoing links - Anything that you link to must be child-friendly and safe for work. This includes, but is not limited to, links to:
a.) Tumblr
b.) deviantART
c.) YouTube
d.) Instagram
e.) Discord servers
This also includes sharing links to any illegally shared/uploaded/downloadable materials, such as TV shows and movies. Discussions about these will also be severely dealt with.
17.)Keep discussions in the correct place - Each section of our forum is labelled for the specific topics that are intended to be discussed there; our Discord server is divided into various channels, each dedicated to a topic. If you want to discuss any particular topic, please make sure you're doing so in the correct place. Posts that violate this rule may be acted upon.
18.) No hacking/exploiting - Legends of Equestria is an ongoing project, meaning that bugs will be present that could be used to gain an advantage over players that aren't exploiting it. These are unavoidable in an actively-in-development game, and on the whole, usage of such a bug before the team has addressed it will not be seen as a rule violation. Once such a bug has been identified, however, players who ignore moderation warnings may be held in violation of this rule. In addition, any attempts made, instructions given or materials shared to explain how to continue exploiting it (editing game files, modifying older versions of the client to connect to the server after an update to continue using an exploit, hacking, etc), or create/use any other kind of exploit that is not present in the latest version of the game without such modification, will be dealt with severely. If you find such instructions or materials, rather than discussing them in the chat, please share them with the team (by emailing [email protected], reporting it through our Phabricator system, reporting them to moderation, etc.) instead.
19.) Double posting is prohibited - If you forgot something in your last post on our Discord server or forum, there is a handy features like the "Modify" and "Edit" buttons, which you can use to include the information you had forgotten. Frequent double posting on these platforms could be regarded as spam.
Section Three - In Character / Role-play Rules
20.) Role-playing - In most of our chats, we allow for basic RP that is PG based. This means you can take plenty of different actions, but at the same time please keep it safe for work. If you would not let you parents or your grandparents see it then please do not do it.
21.) Powerplaying - "Powerplaying" refers to when a role-player takes control of another person's character that is not their own. This is not allowed, and moderators will reprimand those who participate in it. The only characters you are allowed to play as, talk as, and control are your own. The only exception to powerplaying, is if you and your partner both agree that you can control one another's character(s).
22.) God modding - The term "God modding" comes from the term "God mode" - allowing the player to activate features such as invincibility, unlimited ammo or lives, or similar power boosts. This is a juvenile thing to do, and it will not be tolerated here.
23.) More detailed role-playing is prohibited across most of the forum and Discord. Actions are fine, but don't turn it into a story. More serious role-playing needs to stay in the roleplay section of the forum.
If you have any questions about these rules, you can contact our support address ([email protected]) or message a Public Relations team member through our Discord server for more information.
If you believe that a moderation decision such as a ban has been made in error and wish to appeal it, please contact our moderation lead Perry via email ([email protected]), who will be able to investigate your concerns. In your email, please include:
> Your account name;
> The reason you have been given for your ban (you can check this by trying to log into our forum, which should present you with a message providing this information);
> Any evidence you have to demonstrate why you believe the decision should be reversed (e.g. screenshots, statements to indicate your understanding of the rules, etc.);
> Any other information you feel should be considered.
Please bear in mind our nature as a volunteer team when waiting for a response; it may take time to fully investigate any issue, but every appeal will be addressed.