Kill Stealing
Kill Stealing will now be regarded as disruption and will result in disciplinary action when witnessed by any EverQuest Customer Service Representative (EQCSR). The EQCSR will review these situations on an individual basis and issue a decision which is considered binding upon all parties involved. Kill Stealing is defined as the killing of a mob for any reason that is already fighting or pursuing another player or group.
The intent of this rule is discourage and make note of habitual Kill Stealers, not to punish those who honestly try to work together or those who make an honest mistake. Its enforcement by the EverQuest Customer Service Staff will reflect this philosophy.
Contested Spawns
There are cases where two or more groups wish to kill the same thing. In these cases, the groups are required to compromise. If an equitable compromise cannot be reached between the players prior to EverQuest Customer Service Staff involvement, the EQCSR will mandate a binding compromise. Refusing to abide by a compromise mandated by an EQCSR will be considered disruption. It is therefore strongly suggested that the groups make every attempt to reach a compromise that they can live with prior to involving an EQCSR, who may mandate a compromise that does not suit you to the extent that a player-devised compromise would.
Note: A "group" in this case is defined as a party of one or more characters that are united in a common belief or goal and are capable of completing that goal.
Foul Language
Excessive use of foul language in an inappropriate context, including swear words, real-world racial slurs, and other language that is not consistent with the fantasy environment and designed to hurt, will be considered a disruption. The existence of the filter (/filter) is not a license to be profane.
Harassment
Harassment is defined as specifically targeting another player or group of players to harm or inconvenience them. Harassment can take many forms, as it goes to the state-of-mind of the person or party on the receiving end of the action. However, in order to account for those who are excessively thin-skinned, the EQCSR involved will make a determination as to whether or not the average person would feel "harassed" and act accordingly.
Zone/Area Disruption
Zone/Area Disruption is defined as any activity designed to harm or inconvenience a number of groups rather than a specific player or group of players. This includes things such as:
Monopolizing most or all of the kills in an area.
Deliberately blocking a doorway or narrow area so other players cannot get past.
Refusing to cooperate with the other parties at a contested spawn site after having been instructed to do so by an EQCSR.
Making excessive and inappropriate use of zone-wide communications (/shout, /ooc, /auction).
Reports of Fraud
Fraud in all transactions between players will result in disciplinary action when confirmed by an internal EQCSR. Fraud is defined as falsely representing one’s intentions to make a gain at another’s expense.
Guilds
Disciplinary issues involving guilds will also be addressed on a broader basis. Guilds whose members habitually violate any of the Rules of Conduct or Play Nice Policies may be disbanded. In addition, monopolizing numerous spawn areas with the intent to exclude other players will not be permitted. If investigated and verified by an internal EQCSR, monopolizing will result in the disbanding of the guild.
Training NPCs
The intentional training of NPCs will result in immediate disciplinary action when witnessed by an EQCSR. We are aware that accidents often happen causing unintentional trains, and will scrutinize each report of this activity closely.
Abuse
Though the following have always been in the GM/Guide FAQ, this letter is probably a good place to reiterate some of the items that we consider abuse:
Hate Mongering - participation in or propagation of Hate literature, behavior, or propaganda related to real -world characteristics.
Sexual Abuse or Harassment - untoward and unwelcome advances of a graphic and sexual nature. This includes virtual rape, overt sexual overtures, and stalking of a sexual nature.
Attempting to Defraud a CS Representative - Petitioning with untrue information with the intention of receiving benefits as a result. This includes reporting bug deaths, experience or item loss, or accusing other players of wrongdoing without basis for it.
Impersonating a Customer Service Representative - falsely representing yourself to another player as a Guide or a Verant Interactive employee.
CS Personnel Abuse - sending excessive /tells to a CS Representative, excessively using say or other channels to communicate to a CS Representative, making physical threats, or using abusive language against a CS Representative.
Using Threats of Retribution by GM Friends - attempting to convince another player that they have no recourse in a disagreement because favoritism is shown to one of the parties by the Verant Interactive or Guide staff.
