Black Kninghts Rules
Notice to All Members
All of the following rules are to be followed by all members of this clan regardless of their rank or length of membership. There are NO exceptions to these rules unless explicitly stated by the First or Second Knight in writing (PM or e-mail). No other officer of any rank has the authority to override one of these rules or to make exceptions for others. If you are found to be in violation of any of these rules, you may be asked to leave the clan immediately.
Conflicts With Others
Black Knights are strongly cautioned against causing conflicts. We do not start conflicts - we finish them. If conflict is brought to us, then react in any way you feel appropriate and you may count on your BK brothers and sisters to back you up.
Server Selections
BKs are required to play on the same server as the rest of the clan in any game that has an open division. There are to be no alternate characters on any other servers for any reason. You are also required to be on the same "side" as BK in a game if that game has definitive sides. Should you choose to leave BK in the game without quitting playing it entirely then you are choosing to leave BK and will be removed from the clan, and your rank and access to any and all BK resources will be stripped.
Server Grandfather Clause
If a member in good standing has an account in a game that is NOT already a division, and BK later opens a division for that game, that member is not bound by the server rules, however participation with the clan is still strongly encouraged. You may not open a new account in a game for which the Black Knights have an open division without being a member of that division. If a person has an account in the game prior to joining BK for another open division, they are not required to follow the server rules for the game in which they already had an account in before joining the clan however they may find themselves with restricted forum access due the to the sensitive nature of some items discussed on the private boards for that game.
Dual Clan Membership
BKs are not allowed to be a member of any other clan, guild or other organization in a game or display another clan, guild or other organization’s tag in which we currently have a division open for. If there is no division for the game then you may join another clan for THAT GAME ONLY. Under these circumstances, if a division is opened AFTER you were already in a clan in that game, we will not require you to leave that clan.
Cheats / Hacks / Exploits
The Black Knights have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for cheating, hacking, exploiting, or grief play. Any members found to behave in such a manner will be IMMEDIATELY and PERMANENTLY ejected from BK. We do not even allow the discussion of cheats, as in where to find them or how to use them. We consider cheating or hacking among the highest crimes one may commit against this clan and will result in your being permanently banned from membership in the Black Knights and our website. If you discover a cheat, or know of someone cheating, report it privately to the Division Leader.
Chain of Command
All Black Knights are to utilize the chain of command whenever possible. See the Rank Structure for details on the positions you should be requesting assistance of and the Live Roster for the names of the people holding these positions and their contact info.
Promotions Policy
All Black Knights are eligible for the opportunity to be promoted, however the creation of this opportunity is entirely up to the individual. If you want a promotion then you must prove yourself. "No freebies, no friendsies".
Consideration for promotion depends on several factors: Dedication to the clan, following the rules/chain of command, leadership qualities, maturity level, participation in the community, and their ability to work with and lead a team. Popularity doesn’t even register on the radar in this one so don’t even think about kissing ass, it may actually hurt your chances. Nobody in this clan will receive special treatment, regardless of their age, color, religion, sex (or how often), relationships (whether real life friend or mate), rank, or BK points.
Everyone is equal in this clan, PERIOD, some of us just have more decision-making responsibilities. We are all bound by the same rules, regardless of any differences.
Open Door Policy
Black Knights are encouraged to speak their mind openly to each other but are expected to give criticism in a respectful manner, and to take criticism in a mature manner. Whether you have a question or a concern about enforcement of the rules or the direction of the clan, or about someone’s behavior in-game, you should feel free to bring it to the attention of any officer whom you feel can answer it or your Division Leader. We ask that if possible you do so in a private manner. There is no need to air our dirty laundry outside or manufacture drama inside.
Inner Clan Conflicts
Disagreements between clan members are not discouraged, however they are also not to be settled in public. For the purpose of this rule, "in public" means any place where non-members of BK are able to view the proceedings. This includes but is not limited to: on message boards where non-BKs have read access, in IRC channels where non-BKs are present, or in-game in vicinity or public chat channels or in group or fellowship chat channels when there are non-BKs in the group.
Discussion of topics or minor disagreements in public are acceptable, however strenuous disagreements should be relegated to more private channels such as Instant Messengers, the BK Personal Message system, e-mail, telephone, etc. Should a disagreement prove sensitive enough, a KoC or Lord may be requested to participate in the discussion as a mediator.
Requests for such help should be posted on the All Black Knights message board, and the argument then should be DROPPED by both parties until such time as a mediator can be obtained. Rest assured that we take such things seriously, and that there will never be a long delay.
Mannerisms
We do not support or easily tolerate "l33t speak’ or Cybonics as it is commonly referred to. We are a mature clan of adults. We do not want our clan to be represented by this childish form of "speech". This includes most especially in your name. We frown upon it elsewhere, but your name is the real place we don’t want it. "Cybonics" is anything to do with numbers, symbols or special characters in place of normal alphabetic characters. You know what it is, and you know if you’re doing it.
Code of Conduct In Game
BKs need to be aware of "unwritten rules" in specific games. Each game seems to have its own set of "community rules" that the general gaming community tends to follow. Examples are ... no killing in the med centers in SWG, no team hopping if you are losing in Savage, no spawn camping un-capturable flags in Battlefield when there are other flags to cap. Basically do what others consider good behavior. These game specific rules are created at the discretion of the division leader and may be altered, added to or deleted at any time by him. Be sure you know how your division leader wants his division to behave ahead of time.
BKs are expected to play in a respectable manner. We do not tolerate shit talking to your opponents. It’s ok to have fun with them or taunt them a little, but being a complete ass will not be tolerated. Examples would be if you just beat someone in PvP, and dancing on their corpse and saying "I owned you !!!" etc over and over. If we receive a screen shot of you doing something such as this, you may be kicked from the clan.
Chain of Command In Game
In any game and at all times the members of this clan are expected to follow the orders of the highest ranking officers present. No exceptions. If a Lord of the Sword tells you to get out of a tank, you are expected to get out if he is the highest ranking officer at that moment in the game. This goes for all games, all ranks, and all divisions.
Division Closings
A division for a game in BK is not considered closed until officially announced by the leadership. There can be 1 person left in the game that plays, and it is still a division, meaning all rules still apply until that game is announced as officially closed. If you feel a division needs to be closed for any reason, you are urged to contact an officer regarding this matter. He will immediately bring it to the leaders attention and closing the division will be discussed, and all members will be allowed to input their decisions on this matter.
Sexual Harrassment
Sexual harassment will not be tolerated in this clan. If you make someone feel uncomfortable and they report it to an officer, you will be under consideration for immediate removal at the discretion of the victim and after a review of the circumstances.. BK is meant to be a friendly environment, for men, women, and of course farm animals.
Representing the Clan Off Site
No Black Knight, with the exception of the First Knight, Second Knight and Division Leaders are allowed to post in a negative way towards any other person in a game we play, on that game’s official or unofficial forums. Violating this rule will result in an immediate kick from the clan. If you are unsure as to whether or not your post is "negative" you may contact your division leader before posting. There may be no warnings for this rule, just a kick. Represent this clan well in all forms, or not at all.
The Golden Rule :)
If someone has something bad to say about rap, you obviously have never listened to real rap. Keep it off my web site. I don’t come in your house and spit on your things, so don’t come to my web site and trash something I deeply care about. You have something ignorant and bad to say about rap, do so elsewhere. I will seriously IP ban you. Idiots like Puff Daddy, 50 Cent, and other commercialized morons are of course ok to make fun of. I am a very fair and open minded person. This is the only thing I am VERY closed minded about, and VERY serious about. -Thunderbird
Grounds for Dismissal
All Clan Officers ranking Lord of the Sword and above have the right to remove anyone from this clan that they outrank, for any reason, at any time.
Re-joining BK
Upon removal from the guild on good terms, an individual may only reapply one additional time and start over from scratch as a squire of the Black Knights. The application list will be screened for people who have reapplied more than once in the past, and such applications will be removed from the list.
