Dueling Network Rulebook

Dueling Network Rule Book

Contents:
1. Introduction & Terms
2. Dueling Network Accounts
3. Language and Behavior
4. A.S.S
5. Communication Systems



1. Introduction & Terms:
First offense: A first offense refers to the first strike on your account. The term "warning" on the Dueling Network Ban Table is a reference to your first strike only.



2. Dueling Network Accounts:

• Members are only permitted to have a single appropriate account on Dueling Network.
  
• Accounts containing any foul language, anything deemed racist, discriminative, harmful, threatening, or inappropriate in nature will be permanently banned.
  
• Accounts are held under the responsibility of the individual creator of the account. If an account is banned, reversals will not take place unless the ban was done unnecessarily.

Members caught having multiple accounts will be asked which account they would like as their primary, any secondary account(s) will be permanently banned.
Repeated offenses will be result in a removal from the website via IP ban.



3. Language & Behavior:

• Swearing should be kept limited. Intentionally swearing at a member or staff is considered harassment.
  
• Using racist remarks, displaying discriminative, harmful or threatening behavior (including blackmailing or bribing) toward members or staff is considered cyber bullying.

A first offense will result in a warning. Any secondary offense(s) will result in a ban according to the Dueling Network Ban Table.
Pornographic references of any kind results in an immediate ban.



4. A.S.S
The A.S.S. button is to be used under the circumstances in which you cannot contact or are unable to receive a response from any of the online administrators. Unsporting conduct includes:

• A player begins to make questionable moves
  
• A player continuously uses profanity or inappropriate language
  
• A player is intentionally conducting Slow Play (SP)

If a member uses this button unfairly, screenshot evidence showing the entire dueling field and chatbox as well as the Unsporting Conduct screen should be reported via the forum (http://forum.duelingnetwork.com/h4-ass-abuse-3), or any online administrator.



5. Communication Systems:
The chat systems are not a place for irrelevant spam. The following is not permitted to be sent through chat systems:

• Constant repeated links to websites
  
• Entire sentences written constantly in capitals
  
• Constant use of ridiculous phrases
  
• Advertisement of any sort
  
• Continuous harassment of members or staff

A first offense will result in a warning. Any secondary offense(s) will result in a ban according to the Dueling Network Ban Table.

Dueling Networks Penalty Handbook 1.0

You all should have a copy of this in your emails, but here its is in the forum as well for reference in case I don't have your email. All administrators are expected to follow this handbook when dealing with duels on Dueling Network. This handbook should hopefully allow you to make quicker decisions on how to handle difficult situations when called into a duel. If at any time a member disagrees with the decision you have made (assuming it is followed from the guidelines here) you may link them to the following pdf file: http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/gameplay/penalty_guide/KDE_Penalty_Feb2010.pdf for proof on the matter.


Contents:

1. Penalty list
<div style="padding-left: 20px;">-1.1 Cancelled Game
-1.2 Warning
-1.3 Game Loss</div>
<div style="padding-left: 40px;">-1.3.1 How to determine if a Game State is repairable
-1.3.2 Irreparable Game States
-1.3.3 Repairable Game States</div>
<div style="padding-left: 20px;">-1.4 Ban</div>

2. Infractions
<div style="padding-left: 40px;">-2.1 Drawing Extra Cards (DC)
-2.2 Slow Play (SC)
-2.3 Unsporting Conduct(UC)</div>


1. Penalty List
In Dueling Network we have the following 4 penalties available to you that you can give when dealing with Duel issues, each with a greater severity than the last.

- Cancelled Game
- Warning
- Game Loss
- Ban


1.1 Cancelled Game:
Games should be only be cancelled when lag has occurred or the Game State can not be repaired and both players are responsible for messing it up. When dealing with lag mid duel, be sure the player experiencing the lag provides screenshot evidence of the claim. If the game has just begun (LP at 8000/8000) and neither player seems to be at an advantage, then you may cancel the game without evidence.


1.2 Warning:
A warning should be the most commonly utilized penalty. A warning should be given to a player who commits a minor infraction. A warning will only serve as a tool for staff to track a problem if it occurs again. Warnings are only to be given if the infraction is minor and unintentional. When warning a player you should always follow with a brief education explaining why the penalty was handed out and that if a further warning is to be issued to that player for the same infraction, it will lead to a game loss.



1.3 Game Loss:
Game loss is given out when a player has committed a severe infraction that has an impact on the game. A game loss is appropriate when a Game state is deemed irreparable due to actions of the player receiving this penalty. When giving a player a game loss you should always follow with a brief education explaining why the penalty was handed out.

1.3.1 How to determine if a Game State is repairable.
It is very important to be able to determine who is fault when dealing with the Game State as quickly as possible. Whether or not a Game State can be repaired can mean the difference between a Warning and a Game Loss. If both players can provide clear information to fix or rewind the Game State, the game should be repaired as best as possible and play should continue. A game loss should never be given if the Game State can be repaired.

1.3.2 Irreparable Game States:
- A player returns a face-down monster to his Deck to Special Summon “Gladiator Beast Heraklinos” from his Extra Deck, without revealing it to his opponent. There is no way to tell if the face-down card was a Gladiator Beast, so the action is irreparable. It is appropriate to give the player a Game Loss.

- A player forgets to discard down to the legal hand limit at the end of his turn. During his opponent's turn he plays a card that draws a card and shuffles his hand. There is no way to know which cards the player had in his hand prior to drawing a the card. This is not a missed mandatory effect but a mandatory game mechanic. This action is irreparable, and it is appropriate to give the player a Game Loss.

1.3.3 Repairable Game States:
- A player shuffles his hand with his Deck. However, he had revealed his hand to his opponent earlier in the turn, and has not drawn or played any additional cards. Both the player and the opponent can clearly remember the contents of the player's hand. It is appropriate for the player to restore his hand, reshuffle his deck, and continue play with a Warning.

- Neither player has been keeping track of Life Points properly, and there is a disagreement about the totals. The players, with your help, should reconstruct the game from the cards that have been players, and either reach an agreement or accept your decision on the totals. Both players should receive a Warning and be allowed to continue play. If no decision can be reached, it is appropriate to cancel the game.



1.4 Ban:
In severe circumstances (such as heavy cheating & foul mouthing) a game loss should be followed up with a ban according to the Dueling Network ban table and list of punishments: http://www.duelingnetwork.com/resources/tools/dn_rulebook/punish.html. Lets remember that bans are not to be given out as lollies. Bans in this situation should only be given if you are confident that a player is intentionally breaking rules with a combination of unacceptable behavior


2. Infractions:
A violation of Dueling Network's rules is called an “infraction”. If a player commits an infraction, you must apply the appropriate above penalty. Because the degree of an infraction can be different depending on the circumstance, there will be degrees of infractions outlined below. Dueling Network has 3 different kinds of categories for infractions and 4 sub-categories for infractions:


Categories:

• Drawing Extra Cards (DC)
  
• Slow Play (SP)
  
• Unsporting Conduct (UC)

Sub-Categories:

• Caution: No action
  
• Minor: Results in a Warning
  
• Major: Results in a Game Loss
  
• Severe: Results in a Ban

2.1 Drawing Extra Cards (DC):
This category covers infractions associated with drawing cards from the Deck outside of when a player is allowed to do so. There are 3 sub-categories for Drawing Extra Cards: Caution, Minor and Major; which indicate the severity of the infraction.

DC – Caution: (No action)
This penalty also applies to situations in which cards are accidentally revealed, (an example of this would be a player activating Mirror Force instead of Solemn Warning when attempting to negate a Special Summon). Any cards mistakenly revealed should be returned in their original position in the appropriate areas.

DC – Minor: (Warning)
This penalty is appropriate when a player has drawn cards from his or her Deck when not allowed to do so, and the cards can be clearly identified with the help of players. The extra drawn card should be shown to both players and then returned to the top of the Deck without shuffling.

DC – Major: (Game Loss)
This penalty is appropriate when a player has drawn cards from his or her Deck when not allowed to do so, and the cards cannot be clearly identified with the help of players. Examples of major DC infractions include:
- A player accidentally drawn an extra card via an effect and then shuffles the hand. There is no way to correctly identify which card was drawn.
- A player Synchro Summons Stardust Dragon while T.G Hyper Librarian is on the field and uses Sangan as a material. The player draws a card and adds a monster to the hand without waiting for a response from the opponent. There is no way to correctly identify which card was drawn since the hand shuffles after the monster is added.


2.2 Slow Play (SP):
This category covers infractions associated with the pace of a player's game. Players are expected to play at a reasonable speed, and should not waste time during the game. Slow Play infraction should only ever result in a Warning at first and then a Game Loss if it continues. Slow play is presumed to be unintentional in all cases and so should never contribute to a ban of any sort. There are 2 sub-categories for Slow Play: Minor and Major; which indicate the severity of the infraction.

SP – Minor: (Warning)
This penalty is appropriate when a player in unintentionally playing slow causing a delay in the game. It is a players responsibility to play at a reasonable pace, regardless of the complexity of the game situation. Examples of minor SP infractions include:
- A player is excessively slow while searching his Deck with an appropriate effect.
- A player constantly checks Graveyards or banished cards without making moves.

SP – Major: (Game Loss)
This penalty is appropriate when a player is unresponsive. Usually this results in a player not stating that they will “brb” or be “afk” for a short period of time. It is important that players communicate their absence for a period of time in duels. Examples of major SC infractions include:
- A player takes longer than 1 minute before responding to make a move.


2.3 Unsporting Conduct (UC):
This category covers infractions associated with inappropriate behavior from a player during a Duel. Unsporting conduct infractions are considered to be intentional. It is important for players to understand what kinds of behavior are not appropriate on Dueling Network and that administrators use common sense when investigating claims of inappropriate behavior. Do not jump to the admin panel straight away when dealing with inappropriate behavior. Bans should only ever be made if the behavior is beyond acceptable. Remember common sense goes a long way. There are 3 sub-categories for Unsporting Conduct: Minor, Major, and Severe; which indicate the severity of the infraction.

UC – Minor: (Warning)
This penalty is appropriate when a player commits a minor intentional infraction. Players are expected to behave in a professional manner towards everyone including staff. Examples of minor UC infractions include:
- A player swears at the opponent once during a duel.
- A player insults a player/watcher or staff member once during a duel.
- A player fails to follow instructions of a staff member during a duel.
- A player attempts to rule-shark his opponent during a duel.

UC – Major: (Game Loss)
This penalty is appropriate when a player commits a major intentional infraction. Examples of major UC infractions include:
- A player continuously swears at the opponent after a warning was issued.
- A player continues to insult a player/ watcher or staff member after a warning was issued.
- A player continues to not follow instructions of a staff member after a warning was issued.

UC – Severe: (Ban)
This penalty is appropriate when a player commits a severe intentional infraction. Evidence from watchers in a duel or screenshot proof should be included when a ban is made.
- A player continues to use profanity toward a player/watcher or staff member after the duel is over. (via private chat).
- A player makes a racial or sexual slur against another player/watcher or staff member during a duel or via private chat.