Come to think of it, maybe going AFK during Scenarios isn’t really a good idea… If you can somehow justify that being AFK throughout a scenario is not intentionally disrupting someone elses gameplay (see #6), or just generally being against the spirit of the game (see #16), I’d really like to hear it. Afterwards I would promptly refer you to the above picture, sign your helmet, and then give you a special hug. It is beyond a shadow of any doubt that going AFK in scenarios to farm insignias is against the rules. Take a look down near the bottom to see what might happen.

Personally, I’d rather see accounts flagged with this behavior to be stripped of any rewards they’ve earned and be forced to start over from the beginning, but getting banned is getting banned I suppose.

 6. Engage in “disruptive behavior” in chat areas, game areas, bulletin boards, or any other area of the WAR Services. Disruptive behavior shall be deemed to include, but will not be limited to, conduct which purposefully interferes with the normal flow of game-play or dialogue in a Service area. Disruptive behavior shall also include, but not be limited to, commercial postings, solicitations and advertisements.

16. Engage in any behavior that is contrary to the ‘spirit of the game’ as defined by Mythic in its sole discretion.

What IS considered harassment? 
Harassment consists of flagrant misuse and abuse of game mechanics with the intention of distressing and offending other players. So what’s a game mechanic? Game mechanics allow players to interact with the world and each other. For example, the ability to block a doorway is a game mechanic. The ability to create macros with large amounts of text is a game mechanic. Use of game mechanics like these is by no means considered harassment in and of itself. The key to determining whether the mechanic is being misused or abused is to determine “intent”. What was the person trying to achieve through their actions? Were they purposefully trying to disrupt someone else’s game? While an action may cause others distress, it is not considered harassment until it is determined by WAR CS Staff that it was done to intentionally cause distress or to offend other players. 

Also considered as harassment is any behavior that is incessant, inescapable, derogatory and directed specifically at you or your group. An important point to note regarding this type of harassment is that a genuine attempt to alleviate the situation must have been made. This could be an attempt to leave the area of the offending player, or simply the act of asking them politely to stop. If a sincere attempt has been made to solve the problem and the offending player persists in the harassing behavior, it can be considered harassment, and should be reported. For more information, see ‘How do I report harassment?’ below. 

Behavior that is always considered harassment includes derogatory and/or hateful comments that are sexual, racist, religious, or related to gender or creed. Mythic has a zero tolerance policy towards harassment of this kind, as stated in our Terms of Service, and violation of the above can result in immediate and permanent account suspension on the first offense. 

So what happens when I report harassment? 
1. When harassment is reported it is immediately escalated to a server lead or higher, and investigated as quickly as possible. 
2. We will observe the reported harassing behavior, and determine whether the harassment report is valid. 
3. If the harassment is valid, we will take appropriate disciplinary action against the policy violator. 
4. Valid harassment issues are always handled at a server lead level or higher. 

What are the penalties for harassment? 
Mythic condemns all forms of harassment in WAR, and this type of disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Harassment is a severe offense in WAR and a clear violation of the Rules of Conduct and Terms of Service. A judgment of valid harassment can result in penalties placed on the harassing party up to and including immediate account closure, based on the severity of harassment and the player’s past account history.

Disciplinary Policy 

It is Mythic’s intent to provide a game that everyone can enjoy without the intrusion of Mythic Employees. However, there are times when issues arise that violate the Player Policy or Code of Conduct. When this happens, our in-game support staff will investigate each incident fully, ensuring that we are fair and equitable in our dealings with everyone involved. Depending on the severity of the violation and the players past history, we may take the following actions after investigation. 

1. We may do nothing at all. If after a thorough investigation we find that there was no violation the appealing party may or may not be notified and the appeal will be resolved. 

2. We may give the player a warning about their actions. If this happens we will mark their account with the warning and any details, which will stay on the account for a period of one year. The player will be sent an e-mail explaining exactly what happened, why it happened and what exactly it means. 

3. We may suspend the players account for up to 24 hours. This is intended to be a “time-out” period that allows the player to think about their actions and cool down. If this happens we will mark their account with a suspension and any details, which will stay on the account for a period of one year. The player will be sent an e-mail explaining exactly what happened, why it happened and what exactly it means. 

4. We may suspend the player account for 3-7 days. Only Customer Support Supervisors and higher may do this. If this happens we will mark their account with a suspension and any details, which will stay on the account for a period of one year. The player will be sent an e-mail explaining exactly what happened, why it happened and what exactly it means. 

5. We may Terminate (cancel) the account permanently. Only the Manager of Game Support or the Director of Customer Support may do this. If this happens we will mark the account as Banished with all details about the investigation. The player will be sent an e-mail explaining exactly what happened, why it happened and what exactly it means.