Community Rules
Intro
Bourbon Warfare has very little in the way of rules. We like to go by common sense, and for the most part, that's usually enough to instill good sportsmanship and conduct in the community. In a lot of ways, the only real rule we have is don't be a dick, and these expectations listed below are specific examples of that in action. We want to ensure that our playerbase continues to function with mindfulness of sportsmanship, and respect for their fellow players both in and out of game, so we ask that all members follow these rules. With regards to adding, removing, changing, doing anything to these rules - all members are capable of posting and creating a vote. The admins do have the power to veto, but will only do so if it compromises the nature of the group, or isn't feasible (I.E. incorporating a voted mod would cause compatibility problems, etc.).
Both In and Outside Of Session
The Golden Rule: Don’t be a dick. The premise is simple, and it's the foundation on which all the other rules are built on. If you treat people with respect, you'll get it back. You may not always agree with someone, but at the end of the day you can still be friends: that's what we strive for. We're a community with people from all over the world from all walks of life, and the many different opinions we have is something we value and what allows us to grow. Constructive critique and open-mindedness working together; that's how this place runs and how we can avoid so much of the bullshit that plagues other groups. At the end of the day, we're about having fun and playing games - no point in getting upset. Common sense, everyone. That's the core rule.
Zero-Tolerance Policy Racism, sexism, prejudice, discrimination and harrassment of any kind are expressly prohibited within Bourbon Warfare on any of its platforms. Anything of the sort may be grounds for immediate dismissal from the group - we don't want it here. Period.
In Session
Losing is Fun Have you ever played Dwarf Fortress? Same philosophy here. Arma is a challenging, intense game and we strive for immersion in our playerbase. That means things get heated sometimes, tempers flare. I love using an example of one of my favorite leaders - he'll use "fuck" as an indicator of how fast something's gotta be done. Based on the loudness and the amount I'm getting, I'll know how quickly I should have already done it. After the round ends, we're both having a laugh over what happened in game. That separation between the stakes of the in-game mission, to appreciating the overall experience as soon as that ends, is crucial to prevent burnout and negativity. For leaders especially, this is important: plans never survive first contact. Sometimes you're not meant to win a mission by design. Enjoy the challenge.
Do Not Take Enemy Uniforms or Radios Unless explicitly stated by a mission maker or administrator, swapping uniforms, radios, and gear with your opponents is unsporting and has the potential to cause more problems than they can solve in the moment. Appropriating grenades, smokes, even anti-tank (AT) launchers from your foes is accepted, even picking up an enemy's gun in the event you run out of ammo is fine - these are common sense decisions that can be decided by your leadership if the opportunity presents itself. Doing so arbitrarily complicates things and risks more Blu on Blu than it's worth, so please stick to your side's uniforms and radios.
Do Not Alter Your Gamma Settings for Night Missions There are times where missions are pitch black; that's because the mission designer intended for it to be so. Altering your settings to have better vision isn't just being a poor sport - it's cheating. Don't do it.
Intentional Clipping Clipping your character or your equipment advantageously through terrain and environment is an exploitation of the game's functions, and it cheapens the experience for other players. Arma can be Arma sometimes, so we understand this situation occurring accidentally. However, to willingly do so is unsportsmanlike and punishable.
Intentional Friendly Fire Under 0 circumstances is it ok to intentionally shoot at friendlies. Accidents happen but in any case where someone forgets to pick you up or they lift (helicopter) without you it is NOT OK to fire at them in anger/rage for leaving you (battlefield style). It is also not ok at any point to say "I'm going to mess with them" and shoot in their direction.
Alteration of Modset Using mods outside of the BW modpack for session play is prohibited for balancing reasons. Even client-side mods like JSRS - a sound mod - may alter your performance in game in a way that could give you an unfair edge. Doing so goes against the idea of fair play. If you'd like something included - put it up for a vote.
Leadership Etiquette When leadership is decided for a mission, as the person under those leaders you have accepted that person's leadership for your mission, and you're supposed to follow them to the best of your ability. Sometimes, that means poor decisions are made - that's when you take it to their leadership thread and help them improve with constructive critique. Common sense rules here - you don't have to make a suicide charge if you see something the squad leader doesn't, but you should definitely bounce it off him before acting contrary to what they've told you. Leadership is a two-way street, and demands respect from both avenues. When you slot in a leadership position, and your subordinates make a suggestion, consider it. They are right there in the field and have the most up to date tactical knowledge of their immediate area. If you have issues with a subordinate, then take it to their leadership thread and help them improve with constructive critique. Bourbon Warfare does not allow for Field Demotions to take place in it's sessions. We understand that differences in leadership style or ability can be extremely frustrating for our leaders, but a demotion can be equally or more frustrating for someone who's trying their best and trying to improve. It may make some missions more difficult and some situations harder to deal with at the time but we believe the issues a Field Demotion inevitably bring outweigh the short-term benefits; It goes against our group's principals. If you have an issue with somebody's leadership, take it to their leadership thread. The onus of delegating leadership is on the individual who doesn't believe they are fit to the task. When slotting as an SL under PLT, ask yourself if you are willing and/or comfortable with being field promoted to PLT. If not, you should try to slot as Bravo, Charlie, Echo, or Foxtrot during slotting. If you end up getting field promoted to PLT anyway, remember: you are not expected to perform as well as someone who slotted PLT. If it still comes to you and you are not comfortable, do not be afraid to pass it up to anyone else below you in the chain of command who is willing.
The Rambo Rule Sometimes your whole team is killed off and you're the only survivor, and you have to make your way forward alone for a time until you can regroup with your team. Avoid contact and only engage in self-defense. Willingly running off to do your own thing, often in disregard of given orders, is not okay.
Specialized Crew Specialized crew for vehicles are the only ones allowed to operate specialized vehicles.(ex. Bradleys, BMPs, helicopters) Exceptions are soft-skinned technicals or MRAPs that every infantrymen know how to drive and operate. Vehicle crews are slotted at the beginning of a mission for a reason. Those people know what they are getting into and there is a bit of understanding that they know what they're doing. In real-life an average infantrymen most likely cannot hop into a Bradley and operate it effectively. The same holds true for our sessions. If an AT round kills most of the crew in a vehicle, then only the survivors are allowed to operate that vehicle for the remainder of the mission. If the vehicle is ineffective or extremely difficult to operate with 1 person that is their decision to attempt or abandon it. Merging into another vehicle crew is also another option.
Mission End Please refrain from firing your weapon at the end of a mission. This can cause some issues with ending the mission, as well as lead to potential accidents, miscommunications and team deaths before the mission is actually slated to end.
Spectator Negativity Members are expected to keep criticism of mission design or leadership decisions to their respective space in the forums or AAR. Spectator chat is reserved for the enjoyment and discussion of the chaos currently happening in mission and staff will remove those considered to be negatively impacting this environment. This includes comments about; mission making, leadership, player behavior, or any other issues that cannot be effectively addressed in that moment. This does not mean you should ignore issues, but should instead be sure they end up being recognized in the correct space after the mission has ended.
Out Of Session
Dual Clanning Bourbon Warfare allows for dual-clanning. Recruit process will remain the same, but once a member they will be expected to show up to Bourbon Warfare with proper tags. This helps us tell who's actually a new Recruit and who's a Member. Repeatedly coming to session without tags might force us to disallow you from taking Shiny or Leadership slots.
Roleplay Slots Bourbon Warfare occasionally uses Roleplay (RP) slots in our missions and will have certain members play roles that lead to greater immersion of the players in the mission. These RP slots will have their purpose clearly outlined during slotting or as part of the mission description. These RP slots must still act within BW's community rules. Both RP slots and those interacting with them should remember that the character being played, is separate from the person playing it.
Recruit Reapplications and Absentee Recruits Making membership in this group requires a collective vote from members. If someone comes in for a few sessions, then vanishes for a few months - we won't remember you well enough to make a good vote and we'll likely need to restart your recruit phase. A recruit that has this occur is more than welcome to reapply. Similar to this, any recruit that doesn't make it in will be told by myself whether or not they can reapply down the line - I guarantee ninety-nine times out of a hundred you can. I'll always try to leave you with an understanding of what we liked, and what we'd like you to work on: at our core: we don't care about skills as much as personality. If you're cool, you're gonna be fine.
Original - 12/13/2016 by Antares Edited - 8/14/2017 by Zerith Edited - 4/11/2021 by Juujuu Edited - 11/6/2022 by Juujuu
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