1. Ensure your posts don't impede discussion.
   1. Act in good faith. Dishonesty erodes trust, leads us to incorrect conclusions, and obviously encourages users to assume bad faith, with all the problems that causes.
      1. Don't be trolling. Trolling is here defined as posting with the primary motivation of getting a rise out of other posters rather than engaging in discussion. Enforcement of this rule errs on the side of leniency so that posters do not fear they'll be considered trolls just for having a controversial opinion.
         
      2. Make serious arguments. Don't be half-kidding, bullshitting, or otherwise making arguments you are not willing to actually defend.
         
      3. Don't repeat a point that has been rebutted without acknowledging the rebuttal. This demonstrates a lack of willingness to discuss and is also very frustrating for posters arguing with you.
         
      4. Use precise language. Part of honesty is meaning exactly what you say. Avoid ambiguous terms, innuendo, and exaggeration; as well as insisting on non-standard definitions.
         
      5. Read sources and links that you cite.
         
      6. Do not argue via innuendo. State your points openly so they may be addressed by others.
             a. Explain sources and links that you cite. This spares others from having to guess what point you're making with them.
   2. Assume good faith. If you strongly suspect someone is operating in bad faith, report them rather than attempting to call them out in the thread. This avoids false positives where a poster is operating in good faith and forced to defend themselves.
      1. When replying, respond only to what the poster said. Doing otherwise leads to posters talking past each other.
             a. Don't misrepresent or strawman what someone said. A good rule of thumb is if they would object to your characterization, it is probably a strawman.
             b. Don't respond to premises that are not explicitly or necessarily contained in the post.
   3. Don't be hostile toward fellow posters. We are able to think more clearly and make better points in a friendly environment
      1. Don't insult fellow posters. Doing so raises personal stakes and makes it more difficult for them to continue the discussion rather than insulting you back or using desperate and less rigorous methods of argumentation to defend themselves, and keeps the thread about interesting discussion rather than a poster.
   4. Don't talk about D&D posts on other parts of the site while posting here. Even if you are sincerely engaging, making commentary elsewhere on what's happening can give the appearance of trolling or posting performatively, which makes it difficult to others to assume good faith from you in the way they're required to.
2. Ensure your posts add to discussion.
   1. Refrain from white noise cheerleading. Simple agreement or disagreement doesn't add anything to discussion. This does not include clarifications or concessions of your previously posted position, which are actually helpful.
      
   2. Make interesting posts. Ideally, it should be reasonably possible to gain something intellectually from every post, whether that's a new idea, an argument we can engage with, or relevant facts we didn't know.
      1. Make points that are fresh or falsifiable. If a point is stale, it can at least be interestingly debated if it's specific and falsifiable. If a point is not falsifiable, it can at least provide interesting food for thought by being original or obscure. Arguments are judged for freshness in context. If an argument has been made before, but you are using it as a specific and direct rebuttal in a way it hasn't been used, that is still fresh, not to mention necessary for debate.
         
      2. Support your arguments with reasoning or citations. If you have a gut feeling about something without any explanation, this is probably not compelling or able to be debated.
   3. Don't post about the forums themselves. The forums are a niche topic without wide applicability, and therefore have little educational value. This refers only to the forums being the actual subject; you could use them as an example of some broader point.
      1. Don't post about posters. Arguments in D&D are meant to stand on their own rather than on the credibility of the posters who make them, because they are pseudonymous, and knowing forums lore should not be a requirement for participating in or understanding D&D. This rule is waived in cases where someone claims specific expertise in what they're talking about.
3. Obey general rules of the SA forums.
   1. Though positions are not moderated in D&D, all SA rules such as those regarding bigotry apply fully. If you see something you believe has no place on the site, this is a sitewide issue rather than merely a D&D one, and you should contact the admins at forumadmins@somethingawful.com.
      
   2. Do not attempt to incite violence in a way that's illegal in the US. Philosophical arguments in favor of violence are permitted if they do not violate the law. Posts which do talk about the desirability of any violence should have an interesting point about what it would achieve, to avoid being uninteresting expressions of personal bloodlust.
      
   3. Don't share manifestos or videos from terrorists, such as mass shooters.

Koos Group fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Sep 4, 2023

1. Ensure your posts don't impede discussion.
   1. Act in good faith.
      1. Don't be trolling.
         
      2. Make serious arguments. Don't be half-kidding, bullshitting, or otherwise making arguments you are not willing to actually defend.
         
      3. Don't repeat a point that has been rebutted without acknowledging the rebuttal.
         
      4. Use precise language.
         
      5. Read sources and links that you cite.
         
      6. Do not argue via innuendo.
             a. Explain sources and links that you cite.
   2. Assume good faith.
      1. When replying, respond only to what the poster said.
             a. Don't misrepresent or strawman what someone said.
             b. Don't respond to premises that are not explicitly or necessarily contained in the post.
   3. Don't be hostile toward fellow posters.
      1. Don't insult fellow posters.
   4. Don't talk about D&D posts on other parts of the site while posting here.
2. Ensure your posts add to discussion.
   1. Refrain from white noise cheerleading.
      
   2. Make interesting posts.
      1. Make points that are fresh or falsifiable.
         
      2. Support your arguments with reasoning or citations.
   3. Don't post about the forums themselves.
      1. Don't post about posters.
3. Obey general rules of the SA forums.
   1. Though positions are not moderated in D&D, all SA rules such as those regarding bigotry apply fully. If you see something that you feel has no place on the site, this is a sitewide issue rather than merely a D&D one, and you should contact the admins at forumadmins@somethingawful.com.
      
   2. Do not attempt to incite violence in a way that's illegal in the US.
      
   3. Don't share manifestos or videos from terrorists, such as mass shooters.

Koos Group fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Jul 13, 2023