Rules

The TL;DR version of our Code of Conduct is: Diplomacy is an emotional game, and tournaments can be even moreso, and while we should all expect some level of tension everybody in attendance deserves basic respect as a human being and player.  Violence and threats of violence will NOT be tolerated.  Also, racist/sexist/queerphobic language will NOT be tolerated.  This also means keep whatever insulting language - if you must use any at all - to the play on the board and not about the player.  Finally, this means leave any bitterness on the board.  It can be genuinely frustrating when you see somebody make a move that messes up your well-laid plans, and especially if it mixes up the tournament scores, but when the board is done, I expect everybody to be able to be together civilly.  If you need to take a break from the group or from a person, please do so.  Everybody playing is expected to manage their own emotions appropriately.  We are here to play a game, and while frustration should be somewhat expected (blessed are those who can play Dip and not feel a tinge of annoyance), we are all here for a good and social time.  Please refer all incidents to me, the TD.  If you are new to Face to Face tournaments let me stress it is usual for tempers to be high at some point during the weekend, and yet very rare for CoC violations to be reported and even rarer for them to be validated by the TD.  If you are worried about being too harsh, that mindfulness is probably going to prevent you from crossing any lines. 

North American Diplomacy Federation Code of Conduct @ Boston Massacre 2024:

Failure to abide by these rules may lead to sanctions or a ban from the NADF Discord Diplomacy server, as well as other community spaces.

NADF Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Proceedings

Section A - Application (1) The provisions of Section B - Code of Conduct (henceforth COC) govern the behavior of attendees at any and all NADF-recognized functions, including but not limited to tournaments. Any function seeking the recognition of the NADF must abide by the provisions of Section B. This COC must be applied by the Organizer/Tournament Director throughout the duration of the event. (2) The provisions of Section B should, at a minimum, be included in any copies of the Tournament Rules, announced at the beginning of the tournament, and made available for any interested parties to review. (3) Tournament Directors may add provisions to Section B for the purpose of their specific event. No provisions from Section B are to be removed, replaced, or ignored by any TD running an NADF-recognized event. (4) Any changes to this document, including the Code of Conduct, are to be the exclusive purview of the NADF President and Board. (edited)

Section B - Code of Conduct The NADF is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all players, volunteers, and friends associated with every event. We may be competitive, manipulative, and even dastardly, but we are all here to have fun. The NADF recognizes that Diplomacy is an emotional game. Tensions may run high and betrayal is all but inevitable. Nevertheless, there exist some norms of civilized behavior that should be respected at all events, on and off boards. At all times for the entire duration of NADF-recognized functions, whether during games or not, every participant should:

1. Treat everyone with respect, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, or any other category of personal identity;

2. Refrain from behavior that disturbs the ability of other participants to enjoy themselves or that disrupts activities unrelated to the competition, including but not limited to verbal abuse, threats of violence, unwanted physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention;

3. Safeguard the integrity of the competition by making good faith efforts to follow the rules. 

Players are encouraged to report any believed violations of the above provisions to the TD or a designated representative. All communications will be handled confidentially. The TD or his/her representative will mediate in good faith and take whatever action he or she deems appropriate to resolve the situation, including pausing a game, censuring players, or requiring players to leave the event without a refund. Any attempt to abuse the COC in order to gain advantage in any competition will be considered a violation of the integrity of the competition and should be referred to the TD or his/her representative for review. All violations of the COC will be reported by the TD to the NADF for review. Egregious or serial violations may result in additional action by the NADF. Event attendees may report concerns about COC violations, whether by the TD or other attendees, directly to the NADF by emailing: NADFConduct@gmail.com. (edited)

Section C - NADF Community Standards Protocol

(1) Any and all allegations brought to the NADF’s attention will be reviewed by the NADF President and Board for possible referral to the NADF Community Standards Committee. (a) The NADF Community Standards Committee (CSC) consists of three members appointed by the NADF President. (b) A session of the CSC lasts for 12 months, during which the CSC adjudicates all matters brought before it. A new session of the CSC will not begin until a new referral for review is made. No member may serve on the CSC in two consecutive sessions. (c) The members of the CSC shall consist of: one TD who has run an NADF event within the past 12 months (other than the TD of the event where the allegations arose); one member of the current NADF board other than the President; and one other party. (d) Should a referral to the CSC arise involving a member of the CSC, whether as a participant or TD, that member shall be excused from the CSC and replaced by a person appointed by the NADF President. The newly-appointed member will serve for the remainder of the CSC session, and neither that party nor the excused member will be eligible to serve in the next CSC session.

(2) A record of all alleged violations brought to the NADF’s attention will be retained in a Google Docs archive managed by the NADF for a period of 24 months. Should an alleged violation be referred to the CSC, the retention policy will be as described in Section C.5(e). 

(3) The CSC determines which allegations deserve further handling beyond any action taken by the TD or Organizer; these should be limited to situations of serial COC violations across multiple tournaments by the same party, and/or an egregious single violation of the COC. The CSC will review only alleged violations of the COC as described in Section B. 

(4) The CSC reviews all available facts, including statements from the TD, offended parties, the alleged offender, and any witnesses who wish to speak with the CSC. (a) The CSC may accept the TD’s statement of events with no further review or information; however, the sanction resulting from this may not exceed a warning to the player in question. (b) The statements gathered may be taken in whatever form the CSC determines best for the case at hand.

(5) Upon the conclusion of its review, the CSC shall make a determination as to the appropriate sanction (if any). (a) The CSC’s recommendation must be agreed upon by at least two of the three CSC members. (b) Should the CSC determine no sanction is necessary, or if the CSC is unable to reach an agreement per Section C.5(a), all documents will be stored in accordance with Section C.5(e), a notice of the result will be provided to the NADF Tournament Committee (see Section D), and the matter will immediately terminate. (c) The CSC’s recommendation, and reasoning for it, shall be in writing. (d) A copy of the recommendation, and all documents, statements, and other materials gathered in the course of the CSC’s review, will be stored in a Google Docs archive created for that purpose and managed by the NADF. (e) All documents pertaining to the alleged violation and the CSC’s review will be stored for the length of the sanction imposed (if any), but at a minimum for 24 months, and then deleted. If no sanction is recommended, the materials will be stored for 24 months and then deleted. 

(6) The CSC shall present its recommendation to the NADF Tournament Committee (TC) for ratification (see Section D).

(7) The sanctions available to the CSC are: (a) A written warning; (b) A written statement of zero tolerance for further bad behavior; (c) A suspension of a player’s NADF tournament privileges for one calendar year; (d) A suspension of a player’s NADF tournament privileges for more than one calendar year (reviewable by a newly-constructed CSC at 12 month intervals at the request of the suspended party); (e) A permanent ban from attending NADF sanctioned events (reviewable by a newly-constructed CSC at 12 month intervals at the discretion of the NADF President and Board)

Section D - Tournament Committee (1) The Tournament Committee (TC) shall consist of a representative from each NADF-recognized event which has taken place within the past 24 months. (a) Any dispute as to who the correct representative for a tournament is will be settled by the NADF President and Board. (2) A recommendation for sanction by the CSC must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the TC within 14 days after it is provided to the TC. (a) A failure to ratify the CSC’s recommendation within 14 days will result in a default rejection of the recommendation and a termination of the sanction process. (3) The TC may discuss the CSC’s recommendation, but may not make any changes to it; the recommendation must be adopted or rejected in its entirety. (4) Abstentions from the TC’s vote are to be counted as votes against the CSC’s recommendation.