These staff guidelines are intended to be publicly posted for players to understand the standards by which the staff team should be held, and to inform them on behaviors staff may take that should be reported if witnessed. In the event of reporting, please ensure proper evidence is taken. Reports without proper evidence will be taken under consideration and have the staff member in question spoken to, but may not always result in full action being taken.

Actions can only be taken to correct staff behaviors if players/staff speak up. If there is an issue with a staff member and you are not comfortable enough to approach them directly, please approach the Head of Security, or in the event they are the individual with which you take issue, please contact one of the other Staff Heads.

Please remember that the Fallout: Wild Country MCRP Server is a passion project. All members of staff are people just like you, who have volunteered to better aid and build this community. ALL MEMBERS OF STAFF ARE UNPAID. The server currently has no donation system, nor income. We all take time out of our day to choose to be here and to make a fun experience for those who wish to participate in it. As such, guidelines can be flexible, and any circumstances in which they may need to be applied will be handled with scrutiny and proper logic to its real world application. The following guidelines have been created for the benefit of both the staff team and the players of our server. Thank you.

| Staff Strike System |

Some people who join Staff may do so with good intentions, however not everyone may be cut out for the responsibility. The implementation of the Staff Strike System is to discourage deplorable Staff behavior, and in the event someone is not a good fit for the staff team, to have them removed. The Staff Strike System is only relevant to one's standing on the Staff team and does not apply to their status as a player. This system works off a hard 3 Strike system, but may be liable to changes after it is implemented and tested. 

| Etiquette and Guidelines |

We often act rather relaxed with our team to allow ourselves to become comfortable with other players, as our staff team are all volunteers and were once players themselves. That said, there are instances in which some behaviors are to be expected, and there are specific behaviors to be avoided, which will be covered here.

It is the duty of all members of the Staff team to create a safe and welcoming environment for our players. The player base is the lifeblood of our community, and while Staff take on the hardest duties in this community, they are also often under the most scrutiny by the playerbase, who will want trustworthy and helpful staff members when they need assistance. As such it is best that when engaging with a player that you do so to the best of your ability, but feel free to seek someone else for assistance if you are not in a good state to assist a player.

| Rule Breaking |

Staff are expected to be highly aware of the server rules, and to hold themselves to a higher standard of respectfulness to others. As such, any rule breaks committed by Staff that would result in a player strike will count doubly for the Staff Strike System.

| Player Interactions |

Staff are expected to maintain a safe environment and to be respectful towards players. Failure to maintain basic ettiquite or creating situations which make players uncomfortable, especially after they have communicated this fact, may result in a verbal warning, staff strikes, or player strikes depending on severity.

We often have fun and like to play around, but some caution should be had with certain jokes. Joking is done at your own risk, as if a player laughs at a joke, but later reports that it made them uncomfortable then disciplinary action ranging from a verbal warning to a Staff Strike may be taken. (Not including potential double trouble if such an instance may be counted as a rule break.) It is best to keep most jokes in good taste and obvious to avoid confusion, or poor assumptions of one's character. As such, it is best to avoid jokes that are sexual, political, dark or general "anti-jokes."

Meta information should be shared either sparingly in situations where such information may not be pivotal or entirely avoided. While some information may be shared to the benefit of the players (Such as something funny, an enemy's HP, or other brief non-vital details) other information that may relate to character backstories, secrets, or other details should be safeguarded by staff. Staff should not tell players what something *isn't* with the intention of redirecting roleplay towards another conclusion, as this is an indriect form of metagaming. Staff members may remind players of information they have access to, to remind them of details they should have but out of character may have forgotten.

Players suspected of using meta information should be discussed with members of staff, as players collect information from multiple sources, may have in-character unreliable information, or other sources by which unlikely information has been spread. If staff are aware of where the information is from they can simply state the player having access to that information is not meta. If staff are fully unaware of the information the player should be further questioned on it's source before metagaming is declared. 

It will not be uncommon for players to be experiencing grief through the server's life either due to external or internal events. From losing a loved one, to losing a character, it's important for us to actively be supportive of our players. While we all may view the game and community differently, we need to make sure that in difficult times that we maintain the rules, but that we do so in a way that is not cold or uncaring towards players. Offer condolences where possible, and try to give players support when they are in a low point, especially if they have sought you out, as that displays a large amount of trust in the staff team. If you are not in a good place personally to handle this, see the "Silence is Golden" section below.

If a player is acting out, or being unreasonable, it is important that the situation not be escalated. If necessary, go into a separate isolated VC with the player and ask them to calm down. If the player continues to be unreasonable, give them a temporary time out from server VCs. Give players a reasonable amount of time to collect themselves when becoming angry or agitated before speaking with them about their behavior. Above all else, do not engage in heated or aggressive remarks. This may reflect equally poorly if composure is not maintained. See the "Silence is Golden" section below, if you are feeling unable to maintain composure. 

| Silence is Golden | (Sometimes)

Above all else when interacting with players, if you believe you may make a poor choice, or that you may say or do the wrong thing in an instance, the best choice is not to say anything. If you believe being in the presence of a player is affecting you negatively or may result in behavior you believe to be unprofessional, excuse yourself from the situation, and either leave VC entirely, or vacate to an empty VC/Staff channel. If you have noticed a player or Staff member who has done this, please respect their space and do not follow them. Be patient for their return, so that cooler heads may prevail. Likewise, feel free to ask another member of staff to assist you if you are otherwise unavailable or unable to perform. In the absolute worst case scenario, put a pin in the situation to be addressed later, but make sure it is addressed within the next 24 hours to prevent further frustrations, or the appearance of staff avoiding responsibilities. 

| Peer to Peer |

Staff often interact in a very relaxed manner amidst themselves as players and friends, however some instances should be handled with a level of professionalism and understanding. Disagreements on systems, events, or any other staff related issues should be discussed solely in staff channels. Staff should not be bickering in public channels over details that do not matter with each other. To maintain a unified front for players, and to maintain a better experience for non-staff personnel, any discourse of any kind should be halted and moved to Staff VCs or appropriate text channels. Likewise, discourse of this nature should be kept in public channels and not done in direct DMs to allow other staff members to weigh in on issues. Any personal issues between staff members may be handled in DMs, but if it may cause continued friction or if you are uncomfortable speaking with them it should be brought to the moderation team and Head of Security for mediation.