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>policy 1

GemStone III Player Policy: Introduction

This policy is in addition to the overall TERMS AND CONDITIONS that every user of Simutronics services agrees to follow. Included in the Terms are topics like use of accounts, use of vulgarity, and use of the service. We strongly recommend that every Player read the TERMS and CONDITIONS on the web site, as every user is required to follow them and this Policy. Our goal is to provide an enjoyable experience for the majority of our Players. If you have any questions about either the TERMS AND CONDITIONS or this policy after reading them, you may put in an assist to speak with a staff member.

By using GemStone III, players agree that Simutronics reserves the sole right to make the final determination of what is and is not in violation of any part of this policy. Other policies in addition to the ones listed here may occasionally be necessary (such as unique rules for a quest). Therefore, Simutronics also reserves the right to make special-case adjustments to its policies and the steps it takes concerning violation of these policies.

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>policy 2

Role-playing

GemStone III is a Role-playing Game. This means that players interact in the world playing the part of their characters in a medieval fantasy environment. This is known as "in character" (IC) and means that the player is acting out the part believably. The term "out of character" (OOC) means that the player is behaving inconsistently with their character's situation in the game (such as discussing the latest sports event, singing the latest music release, or playing the part of a starship captain, communicating in French, Swahili or other language English is Elanthias Common all other earthly languages that don't exist in Elanthia).

Players are expected to remain in character. Generally, if someone wants or needs to be OOC (such as explain game mechanics to another player), they may do so in ways that are not in public. Using a private room (one with a locked or latched door) or talking in whispers is recommended. Note that tables are considered in public.

When one individual is reducing the enjoyment of other players by out-of-character behavior (be it by speech, actions, ESP messages, or any other method of communication within GemStone III), this may be considered disruptive behavior. Private rooms, whispers, direct thoughts to another player through ESP, or any other methods of communication are not excluded from this if one of the participants involved objects.

Staff Member Characters (GMs, Sages, and Hosts) are necessary to keep the game running smoothly and to assist players with working out problems and are inherently OOC entities because of the nature of their tasks. Because of the reasons a Player may need the assistance of a staff member, interactions with staff characters are not required to be IC. It would be extremely difficult for a high elf to describe the details of a serious game mechanics calculation bug that the character would never see, but the Player has to talk about the numbers involved. This only applies to Staff Member characters, not interactions with Non-player characters (merchants, creatures, royalty, or other NPCs). These should be IC.

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>policy 3

GemStone III Player Policy: Abusive Or Disruptive Behavior

Because GemStone III is a multi-player game, there can sometimes be a conflict between an individual player's idea of entertainment and that of the majority of the players as a whole. In such situations, the majority will be given the greatest weight.

GemStone III is designed for the enjoyment of everyone, and as a general rule, any behavior which is specifically targeted to lessen that enjoyment for another player may be in violation of GemStone III policy. While what is disruptive is an extremely long list, it includes things such as harassment, sexual advances, and actions specifically targeted to be disruptive.

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>policy 4

GemStone III Player Policy: Player vs Player Conflict

There are elements in GemStone III that promote a competitive environment. GemStone III has been designed to promote competition as player vs. creature, or player vs. puzzle, and not generally player vs. player.

Some events (such as the Gladiatorial Games), encourage player vs. player combat in a structured setting. Also, some players will choose to role-play a competitive situation between themselves, and will combat each other, which is acceptable. What is not acceptable is to initiate combat against unsuspecting victims, especially to prey upon weaker players for the singular enjoyment of the attacker. As a rule of thumb, Character vs. Character (role-playing -CvC) combat is acceptable, while Player vs. Player (OOC or disruptive - PvP) is not.

There are many gray areas in terms of defining what is acceptable competition, and what is abusive behavior. For example, a pickpocket stealing items or silvers. This *can* be considered an open invitation for CvC, but losing 25 silvers isn't exactly cause for death. Losing large amounts might be though. Another example, the classic duel (Character 1: You have insulted my honor and I must defend that to the death! Character 2: Have at thee Knave!) is on the surface acceptable, but on the other hand saying dueling (Player 1: Wanna duel? Player 2: Yeah) isn't as it can be considered OOC.

In general, Simutronics will not get involved in a conflict confined to a small group of players unless it threatens to overlap to others or cause a generally disruptive influence on the game.

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>policy 5

GemStone III Player Policy: Solicitations

GemStone III may not be used as a venue for promotion of competing products or services. Casual discussion of the genre (such as The Lord of the Rings is a great book) is acceptable as long as it falls within the Role-playing section of policy (such as in whispers, locked rooms, etc).

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>policy 6

GemStone III Player Policy: Character Names

The following guidelines are in place to ensure a high level of consistency among the names of the adventurers within our community. Players consistently creating names that violate the guidelines may be formally warned or face suspension of playing privileges.

- Vulgarity of any sort will not be allowed.

- Racist or racist related terms are clearly unacceptable. (Klan, Towelhead)

- Names clearly in bad taste will not be allowed. (Lykmi Pihole or Monkeyspanker)

- Names of well-known historical or religious figures. (Hitler, God, St. Peter, Gandhi)

- Copyrighted or trademarked names. (Nintendo, Lucasfilm, Chevy)

- Famous Out-of-genre literary figures or well-known literary terms. (Buck Rogers, Chewy Bacca)

- Names taken from movies, cartoons or video games.

- Technology based names. (Laserbrain, Jetfighter, Mouseclicker)

- Names of current or past well-known personalities. (Madonna, Goldberg, Cronkite)

- Garbage names. (xxbdgscy , yyyzzz)

- Names with repetitive letters. Two may be allowed, three will not. (xxfredxx, Ghannndalf, Marrrisa)

- Phrases. (Ima toasteroven, Worldsgreatest Treeclimber)

- Names with titles in them. (Knight Blackness, Mistress Bombshell)

- Silly or out of genre names. (Frogeater Tongueodeath, Bumblebee Tunahead)

- Names created specifically to mock current players.

- Names too similar to names of Staff members or NPCs in game.

- Odd punctuation or capitalization. (Fragel DeLYon)

There may be names within the lands that do not adhere to the above guidelines. The fact that these names were created prior to this revision has no bearing on the creation of new names. We will not argue or debate names currently in the game, if we feel a newly created name violates our guidelines.

If you were sent to re-create your name, but feel your name is acceptable, and you wish to appeal, you must file the appeal in writing to feedback@simutronics.com. Your request will be submitted to the senior staff for review. Be prepared to wait 1 to 2 weeks for a review of your appeal.

If an existing name is found to be a blatant violation of our guidelines, the senior staff may either request or force a name change depending upon the severity of the guideline breech or disruption among the community.

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>policy 7

GemStone III Player Policy: Bug Abuse

Attempts to gain an unfair advantage which circumvents the letter or spirit of the rules presented in the documentation and version notes, as judged solely by Simutronics, are a violation of policy. Types of abuse range from sending special characters or signals to the software to obtain an unusual result, to using normal game mechanics in ways they are clearly not intended.

Examples of serious bug abuse: Disconnecting from the merchant manager to avoid paying the purchase price of an item; finding a "feedback loop" with spells or mana points, which allows spells to be cast multiple times with little or no cost; repeatedly injuring yourself (or another character) in order to generate experience for an empath or cleric; finding a special circumstance in which to use a potion whereby its quantity is not decremented when it is used; abusing game mechanics to cause duplication of items or silver.

Abusing bugs disrupts the balance of GemStone III and reduces its effectiveness to remain an entertaining product. Sometimes there will be a great temptation to abuse a bug for personal gain because the negative effect is not readily apparent. Therefore, Simutronics will exercise no tolerance whatsoever for anyone participating in this type of activity.

Bugs should *always* be reported. Serious bugs should be REPORTed and BUGged, while minor ones should be BUGged. If you observe someone else abusing a serious bug, or discussing a plan to abuse one, and fail to report it, you are subject to the same penalties as they are. Serious bugs should be reported through GemStone III Feedback.

Benefits obtained from bug abuse may be confiscated. Failure to cooperate with Simutronics as to the extent or nature of a bug, or failure to be honest about the benefits obtained from bug abuse, is grounds for immediate lock-out from GemStone III.

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>policy 8

GemStone III Player Policy: Delays Or Slowdowns

Some delay between commands is a normal consequence of playing a game on a network. Delays are typically only a few seconds, but may occasionally be longer. Additionally, some delays may affect only one player, because he or she is having problems with a local network node.

If a character is harmed because of a delay (or "slowdown") which was caused by a Simutronics system-wide delay which affected all users, repair or replacement of the damage may only be authorized if three separate criteria are met: 1. The damage was related directly to the slowdown; 2. The slowdown was at least 10 seconds in duration; and 3. The slowdown is verifiable by Simutronics.

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>policy 9

GemStone III Player Policy: Transferring Characters

Under no circumstances will Simutronics transfer an existing character from one online service to a different service. If you decide to switch online services, you will have to either roll up a new character from the new service, or continue to use the old service to play your old character.

Even within the same service, characters generally cannot be transferred from one account to another, except in certain specific situations. For example, if a user moves, he or she may require a new account, which would require the transferring of the player's character from the old account to the new one.

To request the transfer of your character from one account to another, use the GemStone III Feedback option. All requests to transfer a character to another account must be approved by the management of that particular service.

Transferring Characters (Platinum Specific)

Due to the extent of disruption caused when a character changes ownership within the Platinum community, any account owner wishing to transfer his or her character to a new account, or any account owner who wishes to transfer his account ownership to a new person, must first gain the approval of the Platinum Guru.

Approval may be gained by consulting the Platinum Guru, either from within the product or via e-mail. The Platinum Guru will endeavor to determine whether the character or account transfer is legitimate.

Legitimate transfers include, but are not limited to:

* Situations where a family started playing on one account, however, they are interested in playing simultaneously and wish to split the account in order to allow access to Platinum to all members of the Family at once.

* Situations where members of a family are parting ways for any number of reasons (going to college, or divorce, etc.) and responsibility for account payment is being passed from the breadwinner of the family to the actual controller of the characters.

* Situations where members of a family, for one reason or another, wish to consolidate all of their characters into one account.

* Any other legitimate situation where multiple people individually controlled separate characters on a single account and wish to split those characters up in legitimate ways into multiple accounts.

Once the Platinum Guru is consulted, the Platinum Guru must have his decision seconded by one of the following people: The Platinum Gurus Senior Manager, the Producer, or the Customer Service Manager.

Should Simutronics determine that the owner of an account is attempting to bypass this policy (either via transfer of credit card or other means); Simutronics reserves the right to confiscate any account or character involved in the transfer.

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>policy 10

GemStone III Player Policy: Character Purges

Certain inactive characters may be removed from the database to make room for active characters. The rules are as follows:

If someone just logs into the game once or twice for a few minutes, and then never returns, their character may be removed.

The criteria are, if a character's TOTAL playing time in the game is under an hour, and they have not visited the game for at least 15 days, they may be removed.

ANY character, even a high-level one, that has not visited the game for 6 months or more may be removed from the database.

If this happens, your only option is to start a new character, as nothing from the old one (stats, silver, fame, inventory, etc.) will be replaced or re-created.

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>policy 11

GemStone III Player Policy: Score Lists

Simutronics is the sole judge of the accuracy of any high score lists and other event score listings. An announcement by Simutronics as to the winners of an event, is final.

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>policy 12

GemStone III Player Policy: GameMasters, Sages and GameHosts.

GameMasters are the equivalent to the GM in tabletop role-playing games. They create the world that characters live in, the events that occur within it, and the non-player characters and creatures that populate it.

GameMasters have several roles: Guest Service Representative, Technical Support for game mechanics, and World Builder.

As Guest Service Representative, GameMasters are frequently on duty to answer any calls for technical help or to address Policy issues that arise. GameMasters will ONLY contact players in an official capacity through email from a play.net e-mail address OR in person in-game. They will NOT use any other methods (for example - AIM, ICQ or MSN Messenger). Do NOT share your password with anyone claiming to be a GameMaster, Sage, or Host. They have no need for that information and will NEVER ask you what it is.

Type HELP first, since many questions are answered within the extensive HELP system. If you still have difficulties or a technical problem with game mechanics, type ASSIST for additional sources of information, one option of which will notify on duty staff members that you have a question.

If it is an emergency or technical problem that will affect the integrity of the game, type REPORT and the specifics of the emergency. Also, while we encourage you to instantly inform us where you feel there is an important issue that may require our immediate attention, please try and limit REPORT to one time and then follow-up with an ASSIST.

Instant action and results should not be expected when reporting. Understand that every report is heard even though there may not be someone on duty and the issue will be addressed. While Staff Members try to answer each REPORT, keep in mind that they may need to focus on taking care of the issue (such as stopping a programming loop so that the game doesn't crash or preventing a character from being corrupted in the database time is of the essence) and fixing the problem takes priority over everything else. Therefore, you may not receive an answer to your REPORT.

Unless a staff member requests additional information through REPORT, please try and give additional information through ASSIST. Additional REPORTs can be distracting when the staff is trying to fix a problem. Over-use or misuse of REPORT can result in a warning.

While able to handle Technical Support in depth for game mechanics issues, GameMasters may not give solutions to puzzles or give out details which Players are supposed to discover for themselves. For example, a GameMaster could examine a locked chest to see if it was constructed properly, but would not typically be allowed to tell you its exact difficulty level, or what number you would have to roll in order to be able to open it.

GameMasters may not make personalized items for players. NPC GM-run characters running special events such as merchants may. GameMasters may not show favoritism towards one player or another. Specific concerns about favoritism or in-game decisions about policy enforcement should be directed to the Senior GM staff.

VERY IMPORTANT: Although one of the roles that a GameMasters fills is Customer Service oriented, their main responsibility is to preserve the integrity of the game's rules and balance. In situations where customer service may conflict with preserving the integrity of the game, the GameMaster is required to put the rules first.

Sages

Sages have similar tasks to the GameMasters, but are more focused to the communications end of things as liaisons for specific systems. They are on duty at times as well and are authorized for policy enforcement, some trouble-shooting technical assistance and limited replacements as necessary. Involved or detailed replacements may need a GameMaster. Sages will REFER Players to GMs as needed. Sages may not give out game secrets.

GameHosts

GameHosts are volunteer staff members who assist Players with basic mechanics questions, assist with finding help sources and aid with simple trouble shooting. GameHosts can not handle involved Policy enforcement situations or mediate disputes, but can record concerns and bring issues to the attention of Sages and GMs. Often, GMs will ask Players to put in an assist so that a GameHost may record their side of a problem and/or get a REFER. GameHosts may not replace items nor give out game secrets.

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>policy 13

GemStone III Player Policy: Repair Or Replacement

Simutronics is not obligated to credit or replace losses for any user if their use is interrupted by a software failure or other service interrupt. Simutronics' sole obligation is to make a reasonable effort to fix a software problem or to return service as quickly as possible (except in cases where the service interrupt is not related to the GemStone III product itself). Simutronics has no control over and is not responsible for hardware or software that is does not own (internet routers or a users ISP for example).

If it appears that your character is missing some points or that something about your character or its inventory has changed unexpectedly, you may inform us by typing ASSIST and speaking to a GameMaster directly. Simutronics will attempt to investigate the problem, and may, at its sole discretion, authorize adjustments to your score or inventory. GameMasters are empowered to make many on-the-spot decisions about replacement, but some situations will require approval from Simutronics management. GameMasters will inform Players about these situations when further research or approval is required.

Some missing items are caused by normal means, such as a weapon which is broken in combat, silver lost to a pickpocket, or a mis-typed line. For example, if you were to type PUT SWORD IN SACK, this would normally put the sword into your own sack, but if there were to be a sack on the ground (perhaps left there by another player), your sword would instead go into that sack, and when you reached for it later, you might think it had just "disappeared." In any case where an item is lost or damaged through this type of normal game mechanics, repair or replacement may not be authorized. Items lost due to sharing passwords or accounts will not be replaced.

In many instances, Simutronics' only recourse in determining the cause of a problem a user may experience, is to verify that the programming involved is reliable. If specific game mechanics function correctly, and repeated tests under similar circumstances as the reported problem yield correct results, then we must rule that what the user saw is attributed to some type of communication problem or a misunderstanding of the output.

If Simutronics cannot verify that an error in programming has occurred or cannot verify the construction of the missing item, then the replacement request will be declined. Characters will ONLY be replaced due to an error in Simutronics programming. Players may help verify construction of items by registering their items regularly. See the town registrar to register your items. Also see the Unique Items section.

Note that some items may change the way they work from the last time they were handled. See the Game Mechanics section for more information about these instances. Compensation or replacement requests will be declined in cases where mechanics balance adjustments have been made and are working properly.

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>policy 14

GemStone III Player Policy: Unique Items

Because of the volume of items and the wide range of distribution methods used for items that exist within GemStone III, Simutronics cannot, and does not, maintain detailed records of the types of items, and who claims them.

It is possible that there will be mistakes in item creation from time to time. These mistakes may be technical, invalid or unreasonable parameters, or elements which are outside the guidelines and mythos of the game environment.

Items vary widely in their scope, concept, and usefulness. Some items of similar or exact appearance may have different powers.

Therefore, the following policy is imposed on these items:

- Simutronics will not replace or repair unique items under any circumstances other than bug fixes we initiate at our sole discretion. Therefore, if you lose one of these items in a crash, we may not be able to replace it because we will not have any documentation on what it was, or how it really worked.

- Simutronics can and will, at its sole discretion, make adjustments or repairs to these items as needed. In most cases, if an error represents a clear imbalance, you will not lose the benefits you acquired while the item was working the way it was. The exception to this is if it was a mistake that has an effect on world balance.

- Simutronics is not required to make any notification that a change has occurred. If you see that an item suddenly shifts its operation, then the reason is either due to a repair, or that the item was programmed to do what it does for some reason. Items should never be trusted to ALWAYS behave perfectly predictably.

- In very rare instances, an item may have to be confiscated if it is seriously in error. GameMasters may replace it at their discretion with the next item in the unique item queue (though this will probably not have any relationship to the benefits/powers of the one removed).

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>policy 15

Game Mechanics and Game Changes

Simutronics reserves the right to make modifications to any and all game mechanics and rules at any time, without notice.

Simutronics has a responsibility to preserve the balance of the game for the majority of the players, and furthermore, to maintain a level of challenge that is adequate for this type of product. Therefore, Simutronics will routinely add new rules, modify existing rules, and even go back and change new additions that did not function as expected.

These changes can impact your character in a variety of ways. If you feel that the change unfairly penalizes your character, or your character type, given the requirements of balance, challenge, and the general good of the game, then you may make your views known to Simutronics via GemStone III Feedback (not ASSIST or REPORT).

Simutronics maintains a longer range view which may be in conflict with short-term and character-specific interests, but Simutronics will always attempt to make the best decision for the overall good of the game.

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>policy 16

GemStone III Player Policy: Quests And Special Events

Quests and special events may happen at any time. Simutronics is not required to give warning that a quest will be run. Some quests are announced ahead of time, while others are run spontaneously. The intent is to involve characters and players in a living story, much as they would if the world was real and the character was truly living and breathing within.

Because of this, quests and special events have inherent dangers in them over and above the normal dangers to your character while playing GemStone III. This could mean the death of your character, the loss of inventory, the threat of kidnapping or capture, and many other possibilities due to choices your character, someone elses character or even a staff NPC makes. Not every quest or event will end up working out in your favor, so be careful with choices and actions with your character, as they will have repercussions, both good and bad.

You have the option of choosing not to participate in an ongoing quest, by typing ASSIST and requesting that you be removed from the quest. This must be done as soon as you are aware that there is a quest in progress. Once you have become involved, it is up to the GameMaster running the quest as to whether your request to be removed should be honored.

Some quests and special events have a limited capacity. For these limited space quests and events, not everyone who shows up will be able to participate. Most quests and events will be run again at a later date, but there is no guarantee of the frequency of these quests, or that any particular player will be able to participate in any of them.

If you participate in a quest, please do not discuss the details of the puzzles with other players, because this can decrease their own enjoyment of it when their turn comes around. Also, please do not broadcast puzzle solutions or other spoilers over general means of communication, such as the ESP network, or the public Message Board topics.

Awards may be given out at the end of quests and other events, but participation in an event does not guarantee an award. Even though a player may have contributed to the solution of a puzzle, or role-played well, their actions at those times may not be monitored. Simutronics is not required to monitor all quest participants.

Quest participants who are being disruptive may be removed from the quest at the discretion of the GM running the event and will not be eligible for any refunds. Examples of disruptive behavior in addition to the normal disruption definition are:

- Making disparaging comments about the quest or the people involved.

- Actively thwarting the progress of other participants.

- Players who have participated in a quest before or by players who have received puzzle solutions from other participants who lessen the enjoyment of other players who wish to discover the solutions for themselves (Such as solving the quest or giving out answers just to get to the next step).

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>policy 17

Staff members may not eavesdrop on private conversations unless there is a reasonable concern that such conversations relate to breaking policy, disruptive behavior, or ongoing events. In general, we try to respect player privacy as much as possible, however no area in the game is completely private. All actions and conversations within GemStone III are subject to monitoring at any time.

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>policy 18

GemStone III player policy: Scripting Policy

=Any= experience gaining activity while being unresponsive to the gaming environment will be considered against policy. AFK scripting of =any= kind is entirely against policy and is an immediately warnable offense (If your attention is not in the game window, you should log out of the game or stop any experience, skill or money gaining activities to avoid being warned. The excuse that you looked away from the keyboard or left your desk only for a few minutes will not prevent you from gaining a warning since the staff will have no way of verifying that fact). In addition, =any= activity that allows you to gain =new= experience while using Rest Mode may result in a warning.

Warnings for scripting or any unresponsive activities are based on the staff's observation of the character, and the staff's judgment may vary from instance to instance. Therefore, each instance of long term scripting will be judged independently. Furthermore, GMs have the right to verify any and all characters are following this policy at any time.

Exceptions: In general, if you are running a script or are in Rest Mode and are not gaining any =new= experience, skills, money, or an in-game advantage, it does not fall under this policy. Being AFK or in Rest Mode while absorbing experience you have already gained is not a violation of this policy. However, =any= activity that's deemed by staff to be disruptive or not in the best interest of the game or its players can be warned when discovered. (E.g., if you script moving in and out of a room a warning may be issued because it causes undue screen scroll, if you are gaining skills passively a warning may be issued based on your being unresponsive to the gaming environment, if your "Rest Mode" message is determined to be inappropriate a warning may be issued based on the message being Out of Character or disruptive.)

For the purposes of this policy, all offenses by any character on an account can be treated as having occurred to the same character. As with other policy violations that lead to lockouts, accounts that are "linked" by any method including but not limited to name, address, or other billing information can be treated as the same account in regards to disciplinary action.

- First offense: Character receives a formal warning, is moved to a consultation room, loses =all= field experience (unabsorbed experience) in =all= skills, and must reread and agree to policy before being released.

- Second offense: All characters on the account, plus potentially all other related accounts, can be locked out of the game for 30 days. In addition, substantial penalties of experience points may be subtracted from any or all characters on the account(s).

- Third offense: The account, plus all of the other related accounts, can be locked out permanently.

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>policy 19

GemStone III Player Policy: Violations Of Policy

Anyone found to be in violation of the GemStone III policies or Simutronics Terms and Conditions, at the sole discretion of Simutronics, may be warned or removed from the game. Please keep in mind that GameMasters may not rely on a Players word alone when handling possible Policy violations, however a Players history may be taken into account on any given violation decision.

This list is used as a general guideline by GameMasters in determining steps to take. The actual decision will vary based upon the severity of the decision and the history of violations on *any* accounts connected to a players account.

1. First violation: The user will receive a warning describing the breach of policy Simutronics believes they have committed, either onscreen or in e-mail. Incidents of scamming and serious bug abuse may be locked out for a minimum of two months on the first violation. Scamming is deliberate use of game mechanics to bilk another player (for example, selling mystery notes and getting a note of a value lower than the sale from the bank after the sale is made, or deliberately stealing items or silvers from one account to transfer to another.)

2. Second violation: The user may be locked out of GemStone III for a period of up to one month, and will be notified via Email. A second violation for bug abuse or scamming may result in a permanent lockout.

3. Third violation: The user may be locked out of GemStone III for any duration up to and including permanent.

4. In certain circumstances, such as extremely abusive behavior, a user may be locked out without warning or notice of any kind.

If the user has more than one account, all accounts, on all services, may be simultaneously subject to the above actions.

Any account that is being used by a person who has already had a lockout issued on them may also be locked out. This includes accounts that are not registered to the person who is locked out. The lockout for *both* accounts will be re-started from the date that the second account was removed.

If anyone is locked out of one Simutronics product, for any reason, Simutronics may choose to lock that user's accounts out of ALL Simutronics products, on all services. This includes current and future Simutronics products. If a user is discovered to be playing on an account which is registered to a fraudulent or incorrect name, address, or billing method, that may also be grounds for immediate lockout.

Players are also always subject to the policies of the online services that provide the connection to GemStone III. If a player violates the policy of the online service, then that is also considered to be a violation of GemStone III Player Policy. Reports of such policy violations may be forwarded to the online service involved.

Players wishing to appeal a warning may do so through GemStone III Feedback (found on the website or through e-mail at gsfeedback@simutronics.com).

Players wishing to dispute a lockout may do so through lockout@simutronics.com. Once a lockout request has been put in place, GameMasters may not handle requests for information or appeals.

Simutronics, at its discretion, will have the Senior GM staff review decisions on warnings or lockouts and take appropriate action. Note that all situations will not merit a Senior GM review.

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>policy 20

High Maintenance Guests

In certain situations, the overall pattern of behavior on an account or a set of linked accounts may be determined to be disruptive or abusive, even if no one single act clearly violates any specific policy.

In such cases, Simutronics reserves the right to determine what patterns of behavior are defined as "high-maintenance" or "disruptive" and may take action against the account(s), ranging from a simple request to moderate/control the high-maintenance behavior, to total lockout of all linked accounts.

You have completed reading the policy file.