Adminning Policy

Admin policy, including for things out-of-game, are listed here, and is the standard of how admins should interface with the community.

Admin Rules

Be kind.
Members of the Admin Team should also be on the Discord server for communications purposes. While actively adminning, admins should also be available on the Discord server. This does not apply while not adminned in-game.
Admins should check the forums & tickets periodically.
Admins will be held to the same standards as any other player regarding behavior ingame and on the Discord server, and any punishments/warnings will not take into account their status as an Admin. Egregious breaches of rules / community standards may result in demotion.
Admins should not leak or otherwise discuss staff channel discussions (including ingame Admin channel chats) outside of said staff channels without the express consent of all involved.
Admins are expected to know and follow all game rules and rules imposed on Admins at all times.
If you're the last admin online and you leave, shoot a quick ping into the staff channel to let everyone know the server's de-adminned.
If you're playing, avoid looking at the staff chat and do not look at the ahelp channels.
Don't admin inebriated, it has the opportunity to be unpleasant for everyone involved.
Avoid publicly engaging with intra-server drama. As a member of staff you're a reflection of the server.

Try to keep notes and bans as matter-of-fact as possible, conciseness is preferable.
Avoid discussion of player punishments outside of staff chats and channels unless it is to correct a misconception.
Avoid discussion of secret notes and watchlists, especially to the player they are imposed on.
Use notes heavily, both for your benefit and for the next admin to check them.
If you feel unsure about something, feel free to ping other admins for advice.
Err towards being lax on things rather than strict, especially where roleplay is concerned. We're the representatives of the server and an unpleasant ahelp can really sour the whole experience for anyone.
If you have to go AFK for an extended period of time, disconnect to enable the panic bunker.
Play the game often! Admins need to stay in touch with the community and this is the best way to ensure we stay in touch.
Don't panic. If you cannot figure out a ruling or are unsure, call for another admin to help.

Remain polite, respectful, and not condescending when handling ahelps. People will get defensive very, very, quickly when they feel they're 'in trouble', so as an admin it is important to ensure you aren't escalating the situation, even unintentionally.

If you are unsure about an action a player has done, Ahelp the player in question and ask additional clarifying questions. Ahelping to ask questions is encouraged in-order to get as much context as possible and to avoid accidentally banning someone for something that should have been a warning.

Avoid making any punishments before you're positive you've fully reviewed applicable logs / have the necessary information required to make a judgment. A punishment, such as a warning or ban, is a last resort.

If you feel frustrated / someone's going back-and-forth with you, sometimes you just need to step back and assess the situation. This may look like asking another admin to step in and handle the Ahelp, or it may look like a temporary ban. Point the offender to Rule 4 for this purpose. It is not healthy for either the admin nor the Ahelp-ee to get excessively worked up over what's typically a warning or a time-out from the game.

Be sure to look at previous Admin Rulings to ensure we stay consistent on certain rule breaks or grey areas.

If a situation seems it's going to resolve itself IC, even if rules were broken, consider not messaging anyone over it, at the very least until after the situation resolves. The game runs smoother and people are happier when players feel like admins aren't breathing down their backs.

Remain cordial and casual in Ahelps. This is not to say to have an air of seriousness around an Ahelp however. We are people dealing with other people and that should be kept at the forefront of an Ahelp. If someone is being rude to you in an Ahelp, be sure to mention the appropriate rule-break and issue a punishment inline with the admin policy.