The following rules are default and apply to all forum games unless the host explicitly states any changes.
Do not angleshoot, cheat, or abuse loopholes in the rules. This includes using out-of-game information to your advantage, such as the “last online” function. In addition, saying that you have a read that you cannot say because it would qualify as angleshooting or otherwise violate the rules qualifies as angleshooting and is not allowed.
Do not weaponize hosts/moderators.
Do not discuss replacements, concessions, modkills, or rulebreaks. This includes voicing intent or pressuring other players to do so.
Do not gamethrow or sabotage games. You are expected to play towards the win-condition that you have, not the win-condition that you want. Do not join games with the sole intent to troll.
Do not edit or delete posts. This includes quickedits outside of minor grammatical/spelling mistakes.
As a player, any formatting tags or fonts that make your text much larger, smaller, or more difficult to understand than default, are not allowed. (Including but not limited to: #, ##, <big>, using more than one <small> tag in a single message, abusing colors to match theme backgrounds, etc).
Do not like or create posts in a game if you are dead or not a player in said game. Do not post or like posts during twilight or night.
Players may not use the poll or wiki features in a game. Do not link anything that can be edited, such as a google sheet or dynamic document.
Please only speak English, and do not create or use cyphers.
Do not quote, screenshot, or refer to any PMs relating to the match. Fake images and quotes will be treated as if they are real.
Do not discuss ongoing games outside of host-sanctioned threads. This extends to non-players as well.
Do not strategically replace out or flake. Replacing out should only be done in the instance of an emergency or unforeseen event that renders you unable to continue playing. (Policy regarding replacements can be found here).
Do not use or develop AI programs to assist you in playing Forum Mafia. This includes the use of any sources of provable randomness in the thread such as public Discobot use.
You may only use one account per game.
Do not use a hydra/shared account without explicit host permission.
You must create a minimum of 15 substantive, on-topic, game-related posts per phase.
Do not pressure or trick other users into breaking any rules.
Punishments:
Breaking any of these rules repeatedly will result in a temporary or permanent forum game blacklist depending on the severity/circumstances of the rulebreak. Some offences will result in an instant permanent blacklist.
Although the rules have been reorganized, a majority of them remain the same, with only minor alterations. However, some rules have been removed, reworded, merged, or added. The major changes are as follows:
Removed Rules:
Be respectful.
This rule was removed as it falls under Global Rules 1 and 2.
Remember, the point of the game is to have fun. Don’t ruin another player’s fun, and if you’re not having fun notify the host so they can try and find a solution.
This rule was removed as it cannot be enforced. While we do hope you have fun on our forums, we can’t punish those who don’t!
Do not clog game threads with fluffposting.
This rule was removed as it falls under Global Rules 3 and 15. Excessive (off-topic) posting is considered spam
Do not slank.
This rule was removed as there is now a default of 20 game-related posts per cycle. Along with this, slanking is considered gamethrowing, thus falls under FM Rule 4.
New Rules / Important Changes:
Do not discuss replacements, concessions, modkills, or rulebreaks. This includes voicing intent or pressuring other players to do so.
This rule was changed to be more all-encompassing - as well as specifying that voicing intent to do any of these actions is considered a rulebreak in itself.
Do not pressure or trick other users into breaking any rules.
Self explanatory.
Public speculation on alternate accounts is allowed.
After a community discussion, we have reversed the original rule of not allowing public alt speculation. Public speculation is now allowed at default.
And a reminder:
Players who abuse or repeatedly go against the spirit the alt system may be denied the privilege of creating alts in the future.
As a player, any formatting tags or fonts that make your text much larger, smaller, or more difficult to understand than default, are not allowed. (Including but not limited to: #, ##, <big>, using more than one <small> tag in a single message, abusing colors to match theme backgrounds, etc).
This rule was altered to be more broad, as there are a variety of ways to make text hard to read and bypass the original rule of ‘Do not use big letters.’ Forum Mafia is a text-based game, and you should always be able to read said text, as well as discern the differences between player-written and host-written messages.
Rule 7
Do not like or create posts in a game if you are dead or not a player in said game. Do not post or like posts during twilight or night.
Rule 7 has been combined with the original Rule 8.
Rule 8
Players may not use the poll or wiki features in a game. Do not link anything that can be edited, such as a google sheet or dynamic document.
Polls and wikis are easily abuseable, and are considered edited posts. All of the above can be used to communicate information in a way that violates other rules, or is against the spirit of the game.
Rule 13
Do not use or develop AI programs to assist you in playing Forum Mafia. This includes the use of any sources of provable randomness in the thread such as public Discobot use.
An addendum was added to this rule to clarify that the use of public randomization (which leaves no room for doubt) is not allowed. Private usage of random number generators (such as Discobot or random.org) is allowed, as their use cannot be verified.
Rule 17
You must create a minimum of 15 substantive, on-topic, game-related posts per phase.
Our original ruling of 20 posts was both intimidating to newer players, as well as serving the opposite purpose as was intended, as it prompted users to create more posts with less content in order to hit the minimum. We believe that 15 posts is a comfortable medium, but encourage hosts to change this rule as they see fit.
Posts that do not meet this minimum include but are not limited to:
Posting for the sole purpose of meeting the post requirement.
Posting about the fact that you are making posts, without adding any new content.
Posting about non-game-related topics (ex. IRL, news, homework, etc), or posting fluff such as images or gifs.
Posting that you are reading, will read, will provide content in the future, etc.
Posts containing non-substantive edits to a prior post (e.g. “I think Chloe is mafia because she is greenchecked” → “I meant redchecked” - this only counts as one post).
General Changes
I
Effective immediately, all blacklists will be extended to miscs and turbos as well. Players who are signup blacklisted may not participate in miscs/turbos, and players who are hosting blacklisted may not host miscs/turbos.
We have noticed a pattern of players using the misc queue as a means to bypass blacklists, which was not intended, and goes against the very purpose of the penalty. The misc queue now falls under the FM rules by default, and any rulebreaks made in any type of forum game will lead to a site-wide blacklist.
II
From this point forward, all misc games will be moderated with regards to the FM rules by default, unless the host explicitly states otherwise.
Although the global forum rules apply to all conduct on the forums, the FM rules previously did not explicitly apply to Miscs. However, players violating these rules in Miscs has been a source of frustration. Furthermore, many Miscs are similar to FM, and rulebreaks are not necessarily less serious just because they occur during a Misc.
However, hosts may on an individual basis choose to waive some or all of the FM rules. For instance, a Misc might lower activity requirements, use a less stringent definition of gamethrowing, or allow discussion of the Misc outside of the game thread.
III
Self-blacklists are appealable, but the moderation team will be more strict with regards to what can be appealed - on a case-by-case basis. If the blacklisted user can insure that the situation that lead to their blacklist will not happen again, and is not currently affecting their ability to play forum games, they may be granted an appeal.
We have noticed a trend of players attempting to appeal a self-blacklist even when the circumstances that led to the blacklist have not changed, negating the purpose of a self-blacklist and often leading to problems when they subsequently joined a game. Going forward, appeals will still be allowed, but we will be more stringent when determining whether or not to accept them (essentially treating them like any other appeal).
IV
Any posts created within a game thread (aside from rulebreaks) are not enforceable outside of the game. This includes bets, bribes, promises, public concessions, etc.
Attempting to make enforceable bets/promises/etc. can lead to angleshooting and often spews a player as a specific alignment due to out-of-game reasons. As such, we are clarifying that any such bets are completely unenforceable. If this continues to be problematic, we may take more serious action.
Regarding Toxicity
Lately there has been a huge uptrend in cases of toxicity and harassment across our site, and quite a bit of feedback and criticism towards how the moderation team handles them. While we will continue to follow our guidelines regarding what punishment types should be given by taking into account the context and level of rulebreak, as well as history of prior offenses, we will henceforth be taking a stronger stance against toxicity, and would like to start by defining what is and isn’t acceptable.
With regards to toxicity, the Global Rules state:
While we believe the above to be clear, we understand that toxicity as a concept is broad and not easily defined - because of this, all reports are handled on a case-by-case basis. The following are examples of behavior that is considered unacceptable under most circumstances, and will usually lead to a warning or ban:
Ad hominem, or attacking a person’s character rather than their arguments. Acceptable: ‘This argument is stupid.’ Not acceptable: ‘You are stupid.’
Hate speech and/or offensive slurs.
Excessive ‘name calling.’ Including but not limited to: Idiot, stupid, moron, ugly, retard, etc.
Posts created for the sole purpose of bringing another user down.
Repeated harassment.
Threats.
Addendum
Finally, we would like to promote the use of the Flagging system. By flagging a post, you send an immediate notification to the moderators, which allows for the fastest response times. If a post receives enough flags, it will be automatically hidden - in most circumstances, this is two flags. If you see overtly offensive content, we suggest taking advantage of the flag button to hide the post while moderators handle the situation.
To flag a post, click the ‘Show More’ button at the bottom of any post, and select the flag icon:
You will be prompted to select a category for the offense. If none of the available categories match the rulebreak, select ‘Something Else’ and input a short explanation.
Please do not flag posts in game-related private messages. To report an offense that occurred in a game-related PM, please contact a moderator that is not in the game.
Intentional false flagging is considered spam and will be dealt with accordingly.
Do not angleshoot, cheat, or abuse loopholes in the rules. This includes using out-of-game information to your advantage, such as the “last online” function.
Updated wording:
Do not angleshoot, cheat, or abuse loopholes in the rules. This includes using out-of-game information to your advantage, such as the “last online” function. In addition, saying that you have a read that you cannot say because it would qualify as angleshooting or otherwise violate the rules qualifies as angleshooting and is not allowed.
This rule was updated due to the fact that players publicly stating that they are angleshooting, or that they read a player as a particular alignment due to angleshooting, can in itself be angleshot or otherwise lead to game integrity issues.
Games containing alternate accounts have the following rules - which can be changed at the decision of the host:
Public speculation on alternate accounts is allowed
Users operating an alternate account may not reveal their identity if the game has not ended. (Exceptions are scumchat and deadchat - if no dead interaction exists)
These rules were removed for a simple reason: avoiding metareads by remaining anonymous isn’t the only point of alt accounts.
After discussing all the feedback we’ve received from the community, we (the moderators) have agreed that the way we have been forcing a specific playstyle from alts is incredibly limiting, and doesn’t take into account people who may want to use an alt for a different purpose.
Of course, anybody who wants to create a secondary account must still receive permission from a moderator - this we cannot change. Though with these new changes we are also allowing alts to be used in multiple games and the application has changed to accomodate for this.
Hosts can still choose to disallow alts, require you to disclose your identity to them, or implement any other restrictions on alts that they wish to. Hosts can bar any alt from joining their game.
What is the username you are requesting for your alt account?
What is your reason for requesting an alt?
Do you understand that breaking the Global/Forum rules while on this account can lead to punishments on your main account, as well as a possible blacklist from creating alts?
With these rule changes we ask that you still respect your fellow users if they don’t want their identity to be speculated on, and that you not use an alt account to gain an unfair advantage.
Feel free to contact any of the forum moderators if you have questions.
Thank you!
‘Show More’ button at the bottom of any post, and select the flag icon: 
