Code of Conduct

Below is the official Code of Conduct for The Last Outpost. Please read over it, and contact us if you have any questions!

Section 1: Member Conduct

1. All members must act with respect towards others and towards our guests on the forum and in game at all times.

2. Comments attacking a person’s race, religion, gender or sexual orientation will not be tolerated.

3. Members must always act in a manner becoming of a TLO officer by not engaging in any activity that could reflect negatively upon the group.

4. The impersonation of other members is strictly prohibited.

5. The above rules apply to our forums and servers, as well as on the forums and servers of other groups.

6. Programs and services provided solely to TLO members may not be redistributed to non-members without recieving prior permission from the President. This includes maps, models, executables, and all other forms of content that may be deemed restricted.

7. Any action that does not technically violate the rules, but is judged to be malicious or inappropriate by Internal Affairs, may result in punishment.

8. No member shall initiate contact with another group on behalf of The Last Outpost, without the authorization of the President.

9. The Last Outpost is an English speaking community. In order to be able to fully participate in our activities and our community, members need to be able to communicate fluently, or near-fluently, in written English.

Section 2: Server Rules

1. The rules of the server must be followed at all times

2. All requests by a server administrator must be followed

3. When on the servers of other communities, members are bound to the rules of their servers, and may be punished for inappropriate actions on such servers

Section 3: Forum Rules

1. The rules of the forums, sticked in the Infosphere forum, shall be followed at all times.

2. When on the forums of other communities which we have treaties with, members are bound by the rules of their forums, and may be punished for violation of these rules.

3. All requests from moderators should be followed

4. Members are not allowed to give other users access to their forum accounts; as such persons may gain access to areas they are not entitled to.

5. Users of the TLO Teamspeak server are bound to follow the rules of the forum and this CoC.

Section 4: Membership (Activity, Leave of Absences, and Application)

1. All staff officers are expected to stay active on the forums. The Cabinet reserves the right to remove inactive members from leadership positions if they do not visit the forums at least once a week.

2. Members who will be inactive for more than one week should post a leave of absence on the forums.

3. During a leave of absence, a staff officer should transfer his/her power to his immediate subordinate, or if there is no immediate subordinate, he/she should appoint someone to fill his position until he returns with the approval of the President. Such transfer of power is highly recommended for all LoAs, but is only required for those lasting for more than one week.

4. Those wishing to join TLO should fill out the proper form on the forums expressing their intention to join. Upon approval, that person will be given member permissions.

5. If a person’s application to join is rejected, that person may re-apply 1 month after the date of their original application.

6. Members may not have more than one account on the forums, except for roleplay purposes with the consent of the President. Such an account must not vote in official governance polls.

Section 5: The President

1. The President has the power to make day to day operational decisions of the group. The President is also responsible for overseeing all departments and divisions, and making sure that they are meeting their goals and responsibilities. The President has the power to override decisions of a department or division commander.

2. The President has the power to issue Executive Orders to enforce current TLO policy, precedent, and the CoC. Executive Orders may also be used to implement new policy, unless the policy constitutes a major change to the way TLO operates, as defined by the CoC.

3. The President holds the ordinary power of interpreting how current policy, the CoC, rules, etc. apply in a given situation. All members are bound by this interpretation, unless new policy is implemented later. The Cabinet may call a vote to challenge the President’s interpretation, and if it passes by a 2/3rds vote, the interpretation put forward by the Cabinet’s is to be followed, unless new policy is later implemented and approved by the Cabinet.

4. The President is elected every year. Presidential elections are overseen by the Internal Affairs department, unless the IA department head is running for President, in which case the longest-serving TLO member on the cabinet not running for President who is a division/department head oversees the election.

5. To be eligible to run for President, a member must have served in TLO for 6 months or more, and be ranked provisional officer or higher. Additionally, the disciplinary information for the past year will be disclosed by IA for anyone running for the office of President in Q and A topics.

6. During a LoA, the President may appoint an Acting President who exercises the full power of the office during their absence, so long as this LoA lasts for under 2 months. For LoAs exceeding 2 months, the President should step down from office. In the event the President is unable to post a LoA due to exceptional circumstances, and will not be capable of exercising the office for some time, the Cabinet may vote to make a member Acting President until the President can resume their duties. Acting Presidents may not vote in Cabinet polls even if they hold a cabinet position.

7. The President may be subject to a recall poll called by a member. If the poll passes, new elections must occur for the President within 2 weeks, and the incumbent President may run in that election. These recall polls are subject to the rules outlined in section 6.6.

Section 6: Division/Department Heads

1. All division and department heads have general autonomy in running their divisions/departments. They are the primary members responsible for overseeing their respective game/division, and make decisions independently, under the oversight of the President. Only the President can override the decisions of a division/department head.

2. Division and Department heads have the power to appoint officers to assist them in their game/division but who do not receive a Staff Rank for their position, unless an exception is granted by the President. They have the power to determine for themselves what qualifications they want for the position, and do not need to get the approval of the Cabinet for their own secondary appointments.

3. The President has the power to appoint Interim Division/Department heads in the event the position is vacated or the holder of that position goes on a LoA without appointing someone in their place. Such a person may participate as a voting member of the Cabinet until the elected holder of the position returns, or a new permanent head is elected for that position.

4. Division and Department heads are voted into their office by the members. There are no minimum requirements for these positions, except that division heads must play the game they want to lead. Division/Department heads may hold multiple positions. Whenever a vacancy opens for a division/department head, nominations are opened for interested members. If there are multiple nominations, a standard poll opens after Q and A topics. If only one person runs for the position, that person is subject to an up or down vote. Internal Affairs has the power to oversee elections for these positions. In the event Internal Affairs is the position up for election, or the IA head feels that they are not an impartial moderator for that election, the responsibility is delegated to the President.

5. Division/Department heads may be recalled by a vote by which more members vote yes then no, and be subject to a new election where the prior division/department head may run again for the position. Additionally, the President may order a new election for the position.

6. Recall polls may be anonymous or non-anonymous. In the case of an anonymous recall, two members must come forth to issue the recall (one member may write the recall request, and one approve it, or both may write it together) to the Head of Internal Affairs. If the Head of Internal Affairs is the person they wish to recall, they should bring the recall request to the President. In the case of non-anonymous recalls, only one member need come forward.

Section 7: The Cabinet

1. The Cabinet consists of all game and department heads, including gaming executive officers. It is responsible for advising the President on matters facing the community as a whole, and to approve certain measures that have a major impact on the TLO community.

2. The Cabinet must be consulted and give its consent by majority vote to the following things: Expenditures over $50, the opening or closing of supported games and departments, repealing a policy previously enacted by the cabinet, changes to the definitions of the responsibilities and bounds of gaming/department heads, IA punishments other than a formal or informal warning, the removal of another cabinet member, and merger agreements. The Cabinet must give consent by a 2/3rds majority to approve CoC amendments, overturn an Executive Order, or to expel a member from TLO.

3. The Cabinet has the power to create policy through majority vote (2/3rds for CoC amendments). If a cabinet proposal passes, the President may either sign or veto the measure within 2 days of the poll expiring. If the President vetoes the measure, it may be overridden by 2/3rds of the Cabinet. If the President takes no action after 2 days of the poll expiring, the measure becomes TLO policy.

4. If a member of the Cabinet goes on a LoA, their replacement does not have the right to vote, but may participate in Cabinet discussions. In the event of a tie vote, the measure fails.

5. The President may post votes for the Cabinet’s consideration, but may not vote in any cabinet poll. The President may, however, participate in discussion. The President may never serve on the Cabinet, but may hold a division/department head position.

6. The Cabinet is not subject to regular re-election cycles, as this role is secondary to their game/department responsibilities. If a Cabinet member resigns from their gaming/department head role or they are removed by the members or the cabinet via a vote, they also lose their cabinet seat unless they hold another gaming/department head position.

Section 8: Ratification and Amendments:

1. In order to be ratified or retracted in its entirety, unanimous vote from the Cabinet is required.

2. In order to amend this Code of Conduct, the Cabinet must have a 2/3rds majority vote in favor of the amendment. If only a simple majority is reached, the measure may be introduced in two months time. If the measure fails a second time, but maintains a support of a simple majority, the question may be put the community as a whole where a 2/3rds majority in the affirmative is required for the CoC to be amended. The President does not sign or veto CoC amendments.