Public Code of Conduct for Moderators

By gmaail · · 110 views · 4 upvotes · 2 replies

In the past few weeks there have been multiple issues involving moderators. Septimus was dropped because of (if I understood correctly) private harsh comments about the game management, and yesterday Varg posted a comment laughing in his guild server after muting a member of a rival guild.

I get that from some perspectives, a moderator criticizing the “company” they represent (whether in good faith or not, I’ll keep this post judgement-free) can be seen as serious misconduct. At the same time, other behaviours like misuse of power or unprofessional public messaging can also seriously damage trust in the moderation team and in the game itself.

The issue gets more relevant when you consider all the new players that joined VoxUrsi in the past weeks and have no context about the people involved. Seeing an official moderator write “Just gave Chox a 24h timeout” followed by a laughing emoji “🤣” creates a certain impression no matter the intent. Moderators are representatives of the game, and their public behaviour inevitably reflects on it. Because of that, personal conflicts or informal attitudes shouldn’t really be part of moderation actions.

What makes this situation more sensitive is the recent case involving Chox. In his last post he said his comment was meant as “blaming Kaling’s parents for his [wrong] behaviour”, while the mute seems to come from an interpretation closer to “blaming Kaling’s parents for giving birth to him”. I’m not here to say which interpretation is right or wrong, but it becomes a problem if enforcement happens with no room for clarification or even a warning step. And honestly, the space for clarification shouldn't have been VoxUrsi’s server, where Chox wasn’t even present.

We’re basically building the foundation of the game here, and perceived abuse of power or lack of transparency from moderators can easily damage the community long term, and like many others, I’d like to see the community grow in a healthy and fair environment.

For this reason, I think there should be a public moderator code of conduct that clearly defines expected behaviour. Moderator actions should be logged and explained in a dedicated channel, and there should be a transparent system for warnings, reports, and appeals. This would help both protect players and support moderators by giving them clearer guidelines and reducing ambiguity in decisions.

Replies

Varg the Stormborn ·

I'd like to briefly address the situation surrounding Chox's 24-hour mute.

The reason for this action was a public statement in which another player's parents were mentioned and portrayed negatively. Regardless of the precise interpretation, in our view, this clearly crosses the line of respectful interaction as defined in the Community Guidelines. Such statements do not contribute to a healthy discussion culture and can quickly become personally hurtful.

In this specific case, I deliberately refrained from issuing a prior warning. There are certain behaviors that can be generally considered inappropriate, and this includes involving family or private matters in public conflicts.

The measure was temporary and primarily intended to send a clear signal about where this line lies. It was not meant as a personal sanction, but rather as a contribution to maintaining a respectful tone within the community.

Regardless, I take the points raised regarding transparency and the conduct of moderators seriously. It is important that decisions are transparent and communicated professionally. We can and should continue working on this.

Pickenchox ·

At face value, your reasoning for a 24-hour mute with no warning and no explanation could be explained away. While I strongly disagree with both the interpretation and the severity of the punishment, it was ultimately your decision as a moderator.

The problem is that this action does not exist in a vacuum.

When viewed alongside the repeated lack of moderation for far more offensive behavior in general chat, the complete absence of any prior warning regarding my conduct, the lack of communication after the mute was issued, and the subsequent boasting about the action in guild chat accompanied by a laughing emoji, the claim that this was simply an impartial effort to uphold community standards becomes much harder to accept.

If the goal was truly to establish a boundary and promote respectful discussion, then consistency, transparency, and professionalism should have been present throughout the process. Instead, what many players saw was selective enforcement followed by celebration of the punishment behind closed doors.

You state that the mute was not personal. Unfortunately, the surrounding circumstances are exactly why people question whether it was. Actions speak louder than explanations written after the fact. The issue is not merely whether my comment crossed a line in your opinion; it is whether moderation is being applied fairly, consistently, and without personal bias.

That is the concern that remains unresolved.