Charter

Preamble

RoleplayMonster provides several services. These services bring together people from different backgrounds and levels of education. We dream of a world of unicorns and rainbows where everyone can exchange ideas and learn from each other in peace. However, we are aware that this perfect world does not exist, and we must set a framework for interaction within the services we provide. To ensure that exchanges happen within such a framework, this charter defines the behaviors we encourage and those we reject. Participation from everyone is necessary: without reporting, we can often do little, and everyone must know these rules to apply them. We therefore encourage you to spread this charter as widely as possible.

Scope of Application

This charter applies to all individuals who interact within RoleplayMonster, particularly on our websites and services.

Language

The main languages are German and English; therefore, we ask that all posts be written only in these languages. Other languages cannot be moderated by us and will thus be removed.

Legal Framework

We are subject to German jurisdiction, and any violations we detect on our platforms may have legal consequences. Additionally, such violations will be moderated and no longer appear publicly. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Insults
• Defamation
• Discrimination
• Threats
• Harassment
• Invasion of privacy
• Hate speech
• Youth protection, particularly regarding the presence of pornographic content or depictions of violence

Other Behaviors Subject to Moderation

The following behaviors are also unacceptable and will be moderated accordingly:

• Sending aggressive messages to a person or group for any reason. If you are insulted, report it; do not insult back.
• Revealing private information about a person. The disclosure of pseudonyms and other details of someone’s real identity is a personal and individual decision that cannot be imposed.
• Harassing someone who has asked you to stop. Respect this; “No” means “No”! Leave people alone if they do not want to talk to you.
• Never use derogatory language regarding gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, culture, physical or mental condition, etc., or anything that perpetuates systemic oppression. If you thought your wording was just a joke, you should know that we have no sense of humor about these topics and will not tolerate it. When in doubt, ask yourself beforehand if the people you are addressing will laugh with you about your joke.
• Automatically generated messages are only tolerated if they are well-executed.
• Sharing intense negative emotions (especially anger), particularly directed at a person. Social media is not the place to settle scores or seek psychological help. Step away from your PC, keyboard, tablet, or smartphone, and take a deep breath. There are more appropriate places and media to express intense emotions loudly. Once the initial anger has subsided, you can (if necessary) calmly return and express your needs and boundaries. We know this is often difficult.
• Participating in mass harassment, inciting general defamation, and hoarding messages (also known as dogpiling). For you, it may be just one message, but for the recipient, it is one message too many and can cause harm.
• Malicious defamation of a person, behavior, belief, or practice. You have the right to disapprove, but we do not want to read your judgment.
• We do not tolerate the spread of misinformation/conspiracy theories in public spaces. For example: claiming COVID-19 is a hoax, vaccines contain chips, chemtrails, the Earth is round - uh - flat, the Flying Spaghetti Monster does not exist, or similar claims.

Types of Accounts Subject to Moderation

The following accounts are not welcome and will be deleted:

• Bots: if the creation appears automated.
• Advertising: if the account was created for advertising purposes (regardless of where the text is published).

If you have a legitimate interest in operating a bot, please contact us in advance.

People Are Not Their Behaviors

We distinguish between people and behavior. We will moderate behavior that violates our code of conduct as described under Moderation Measures, but we will not ban individuals based on their opinions after a single violation.

However, we will ban anyone who repeatedly violates our guidelines and mobilizes our moderation teams: we want to engage with people who can understand and/or respect our charter.

Tools at Your Disposal

We ask you to remain vigilant. This should be a safe space for everyone. Help us use the tools at our disposal to make our services enjoyable:

• If you have a problem with someone or feel uncomfortable in a situation, do not use this as an excuse for aggression. Depending on the service, you have different options, including:
  • ending the conversation
  • blocking the unwanted account
  • blocking the entire instance associated with that account
  • reporting the account to moderation here
• If someone blocks you, respect their wish and do not attempt to contact them through other means. It is up to them to reach out if they wish to do so.
• If you notice behavior that violates the code of conduct and causes problems, report it to moderation so that action can be taken. Reports allow us to help people in need, stop unwanted behavior, and make our community a safe space for everyone.
• If it is unclear whether someone is in trouble but the behavior towards them is questionable, have a respectful conversation with all affected parties about the behavior to question and change your shared perception of the situation.

Moderation Measures

If we notice or are made aware of behavior that violates this charter, we will act to the best of our knowledge and abilities, with the help of our volunteers. To make our work easier, it is essential that you justify your reports as much as possible. Without justification, we may not understand your reasoning and may simply close the report.

In some cases, we will try to take the time to speak with those involved. However, we may also take some of the following actions without further explanation:

• Removal of content (messages, videos, images, etc.)
• Modification (or request for modification) of all or part of the content (content warning, partial deletion)
• Blocking the account or instance in case of non-compliance with the Terms of Use (abusive use of services) or this charter.

In the context of the Fediverse (Mastodon, Mobilizon, PeerTube, etc.), we can hide problematic content forwarded to our instance or even block problematic instances (both considered last-resort measures), but we cannot directly intervene on other instances.

Moderation is carried out by volunteers (and humans!) who do not always have the time and energy to provide you with explanations. If you believe you have been unfairly moderated or banned, contact us: we are sometimes unjust without intending to be; we are mostly human and therefore fallible. That’s just how it is. But we are open to dialogue.

In Case of Disagreement

If you do not like how one of our services is managed:

• you can seek an alternative provider
• you can block the entire instance in the Fediverse

RoleplayMonster does not aim to centralize exchanges, and you will find many other hosting providers offering similar services with terms that may suit you better. If you do not agree with the terms proposed by RoleplayMonster or simply wish to register elsewhere, we will try to assist you in making the transition (within the limits of our capabilities and the technical solutions used).

Evolution of the Charter

RoleplayMonster reserves the right to update and modify this charter occasionally.

Special rules for individual services