Zealmania Rules and Demerit System

Hi Everyone!

This is something that I’ve been meaning to get done for a while now, but I was waiting for Jagex to push
out some major clan changes. The updated occurred on Monday 30th of July and this has been the biggest
clan update in multiple years. The changes have brought a whole host of things into clans and gives
RuneScape players a new incentive to join them. Along with the updates to the Avatar, broadcast
messages and other things. Jagex has also introduced a muting system into clans to allow clan
management to manage various levels of rule breaking better.

I know rules are not for everyone. But in our clan, we want to establish a very friendly and laid-back
atmosphere. However, the rules are there to keep everyone safe in clan and to keep the clan a fun, stress
free and an enjoyable place for everyone. We want to be totally transparent about any actions we take if
clan members are found to be in breach of those rules. The rules aim to be as fair as possible and so does
the clan disciplinary policy as we really like to be transparent about all that we do in the clan.

For when things go wrong, the first step you should take is see if you can discuss with the player any issue
you have with them. If you are not able to come to a resolution together, then please add the player to
the ignore list. Then please get in touch with an Admin+ rank who you trust, either in RuneScape or via
discord. They will then relay the information to the clan management team who will decide on the steps
to take.

This document will aim to cover the zero tolerance rules, demerit-based rules, demerit system, demerit
escalation and demerit balancing.

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 Zealmania Rules

Zero Tolerance

1) No scamming players within the clan.

2) No Pking a clan mate on purpose or working with PKers.
3) No leaking personal information or personally identifiable information to the clan (Addresses,
Phone Numbers, Social Media) nor leaking any sexualized information (Images/Videos).
4) No luring in the clan.
5) No phishing for player details for hijacking of another players account.
6) No use of cheating software/macro tools.
7) No RWT or using gold buying websites (Buying bonds is fine).
8) No giving out misleading comments to steer the clan for personal gain.

Demerit Based Escalation

1) Do not spam the CC with similar questions or similar topics if you are not getting a response.
2) Do not crash your clan mates during PVM, try and help them.
3) Do not force your opinion on other people.
4) No harassment towards any player in the clan.
5) No derogatory comments based on gender, religion, race, sexual orientation.
6) Try to keep talk about religion/politics and other sensitive issues (sexual abuse, murder, gun
violence) to a minimum.
7) No begging for cash/items in the clan, this is alright if you have been offered them, but please
don’t beg.
8) Do not make any personal advances on another player (Constantly ask them for social media
information/phone numbers/where they live/what they do) – This is ok if the player tells you
these things.
9) Highly vulgar behavior and language – banter and memes are ok, but there is a line and you will
be warned if you cross it.
10) Account sharing for personal gain (This is a vital rule to keep our member accounts safe, plus
making sure powers don’t fall into the wrong hands).
11) Abuse of power (Kicking players, muting for no reason, not following procedures and purposely
harming the clan).
12) Exploiting a bug for personal gain.
13) Creating “inner circles” within the clan on any platform to undermine clan decisions.

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 The Rules Explained

Zero Tolerance

The “Zero Tolerance” rules within Zealmania aim to protect and shield our players from the worst of
offences in the game and are there for the overall health of the clan. Players found to be in breach of Zero
Tolerance rules will be removed from the clan as well as being permanently banned and where applicable
in game reports of the conduct will be sent to Jagex. Only in extremely rare and case by case circumstances
a breach of the Zero Tolerance rules will not result in the removal from the clan, but this decision lies with
the clan management team.

Demerit Based Escalation

The demerit-based rules are not “exhaustive” as there may be some rules on there that we may have not
covered. The demerit system which is explained further in detail in the pages below is a robust system
which allows all players a fair chance and opportunity to be highlighted of any breach of rules. It also
provides ample time to change the behavior during the escalation process. The rules listed in the demerit-
based escalation are just a guide and the clan management team may amend the rules or consider using
the demerit-based system on any behavior in the clan that is deemed unacceptable.

Demerit System

Now that we have outlined the rules, it will be good to outline the Zealmania demerit system. This system
only applies for rules that are not considered “Zero Tolerance”. Anyone found to be in breach of the “Zero
Tolerance” rules will be instantly removed from the clan.

The number of demerit points a clan member has will be dependent on their duration in the clan as well
as rank. Using both duration and rank is a good representation on how we expect that rank to behave and
it aims to capture a good balance of clan knowledge and game knowledge. Below I will outline the demerit
point system.

Clan Guest (No rank) – 1 demerit point

• Guests get a maximum of 1 demerit point (Reminder) at the discretion of the clan ranks.
• If guests are found in breach of rules a kick may be issued bypassing the reminder if the kick is
justified.

A verbal reminder of the rules will be given as a courtesy where possible, however depending on the
severity of the rule break the verbal reminder may be bypassed and escalated to a kick. It will then be in
the hands of the clan management team to decide if a permanent ban from the clan is required. All ranks
“Admin” and above can kick guests in Zealmania to protect the clan from any wrong doers, however
the clan management team must be informed of ALL kicks.

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New Starter (Probation) – 3 demerit points
• New Starter – probation for the first 2 months, regardless of rank.
• All ranks until Lieutenant will be classified as such.

A new starter in the clan will be on probation for the first two months regardless of their rank, this means
if a player manages to get the rank of General within those 2 months they will still be considered a “New
Starter”, ranks until Lieutenant will also still be placed under “New Starter”.

Experienced Player (Full Member) – 4 demerit points

• Player that has been in the clan for over 2 months in duration.
• Player that is Lieutenant or above (Unless they have been in the clan for less than 2 months).

An experienced player will be classed as any member who has been in the clan for longer than 2 months
and is also either Lieutenant or above. This means that any player who has been in the clan for longer
than 2 months but is only a 3 bar in rank would still fall under “New Starter”.

Exceptional Circumstance (Reserved for original members) – 4 demerit points

• Player that has shown exceptional loyalty by being an original member of the clan during Soul
Wars days.
• May be any rank

The exceptional circumstance will be given to any player who was part of Zealmania during the Soul Wars
period pre-EOC who has been around in the clan since 2011 or before. This will hold true regardless of
their rank as an understanding of their loyalty.

Veteran Player (Clan Top) – 6 demerit points

• Player that has been in the clan for over 6 months in duration.
• Player that is the rank of Admin or above.

A veteran player will be classed as any member who has been in the clan for longer than 6 months and
who holds a rank minimum to the rank of Admin. A General who has been in the clan for over 6 months
will still fall under the rank of “Experienced Player”.

Explanation of Demerits
This system does not consider “Zero Tolerance Rules”. If a player was to run out of demerits, on the next
occasion any rule is violated, this will result in a removal from the clan. For Experienced and Veteran
Players having more than 3 demerits will put the player at a high disadvantage for future promotions.

Demerits may expire over time depending on severity, however the decision to rank a player with
demerits lies with the clan management team, if clear progress is made into changing the behavior as we
understand everyone can make a positive change.

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 Demerit Escalation Process

Now that the demerit system has been outlined, the below section aims to outline how demerits will be
issued and what consequences they will hold. Again, this system does not consider “Zero Tolerance
Rules”.

Verbal Reminder – 1 demerit

A Verbal reminder will be had either in PM/Discord where possible about the rule violated. The discussion
can include some steps to take to stop further escalation. Where a private chat is not possible a “check”
will be issued within the clan. This can be along the lines of “Player X, please refrain from Y as this is
against the rules of our clan”. Any type of reminder like this will be classed as a demerit.

Clan Mute (Short Duration) – 2 demerits

A short clan mute will usually be issued if the rule breaking is serious enough and can be issued before a
verbal reminder if required. Any rank with the power can issue the mute and if a clan mute is placed on
a player, then the rank placing the mute will endeavor to get in touch with the player to discuss their
actions. If the feedback is taken positively by the player, then the extra demerit will not be given. If the
feedback is not taken positively and no apology is given then the rank who issued the mute can impose
the full 3 demerits, 1 for verbal reminder and 2 for the clan mute.

Clan Mute (Long Duration) + Discussion with clan management team – 3 demerits

A long-term clan mute can be placed by any rank with the power to do so, however that player will remain
muted until they can have a discussion with the clan management team. This type of mute is reserved
for when we think the type of rule breaking is extremely serious. Often such a mute can lead to removal
of the clan following the discussion with the clan management team. If the issue is resolved with the
management team, then 3 demerits will apply.

Note: Once a player is kicked from the clan it is a clan management team decision if a permanent ban
on that player is required. For breach of “Zero Tolerance” rules, a permanent ban is likely.

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 Demerit Balancing

The number of demerits assigned to each rank and each consequence has been drafted to be as fair as
possible before a rank is removed from the clan.

Clan Guests (1 demerit) – Clan guests are only entitled to 1 verbal reminder before being removed from
the clan temporarily. If found to be violating rules after the temporary kick, it will escalate to a permanent
ban from the clan.

New Starters (3 demerits) – New starts can get the combination of a verbal reminder + clan mute (short
duration) before being removed or a clan mute (long duration) + discussion with the clan management
team before being removed.

Experienced Players + Exceptional Circumstance (4 demerits) – These players can get a combination of 2
verbal reminders + a short mute before they are removed. Or a verbal reminder + a long mute with a
discussion with the clan management team before they are removed.

Veteran Players (6 demerits) – These types of players will usually be dealt directly by the clan
management team; however, mutes can be placed by any rank on the player if required. The maximum
combination will be 1 Verbal Reminder + Short mute + A Long mute.

Final Notes

Hopefully this document gives everyone a good understanding of the type of behavior we expect in the
clan chat. While our clan is and always will be a relaxed and fun place to be. By no means will this policy
change that, however for when things go wrong, this is a fair and transparent system. As always if you
need further assistance, help or clarification, please do reach out to the clan admins and we would love
to assist. Thanks for reading!

L0NE DRUID (Rowan) – (Version 1) 1st August 2018

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