Additional Restrictions
Overview
Additional restrictions are a set of three measures that Profound Decisions could apply in situations where we feel it is appropriate to take additional steps to protect an individual, to allow them to feel safe when participating at Empire. The measures may be applied where we are issuing a player with a formal warning for their behaviour or where the accusations are particularly serious. In either case, the approach should be guided by a precautionary principle - to try and provide a player with the reassurance that they will be able to limit interactions with the individual whose behaviour is intimidating or the cause of distress.
Terminology
- Restricted Participant - the subject of the additional measures - the person required to modify their behaviour
- Protected Participant - the individual who we are implementing these measures to protect - the person the restricted party must avoid
Restrictions
No Interaction
We may instruct a player not to interact with the protected participant where possible. In this case, they must not approach any medium-sized or group of people if the person is present or initiate a conversation with the protected party. They must avoid entering the protected party's group camp.
The restricted player may still attend large communal gatherings of the type common in places like the Conclave, the Senate, the bar, or a faction muster. In any situation like this, they must make all reasonable efforts to keep as much distance as possible - in effect they should stand at the other side of the room/tent/clearing.
The restricted player's character may not engage in PvP activities with the protected party, they may not attempt to harm the protected parties character or attempt to have them revoked or replaced or similar.
Game Participation Restriction
We may instruct a player not participate in one of the Senate, the Military Council, the Conclave, the Synod, the Bourse or the Academy.
If there is a defined structure, a tent or building, associated with the restricted area of the game then the restricted player may not enter it at any point during the game for any reason. This restriction would be in force at all times, even if the location was empty at the time or in use for other activities (for example, if you were prohibited by participating in the Senate, then you could not attend Senate Moves).
The restricted party may not have any Imperial title associated with the restricted game area. For example, if a player is prohibited from participating in the Senate, then they cannot stand for or hold the title of Senator, Conscience of the Senate, Master of the Mint, Throne, Imperial Magus, etc. If the restricted party holds a title in the prohibited game area then they will need to resign the position.
If the protected party changes character or changes their character focus or direction then they could approach Profound Decisions between events to have the restricted game participation area updated.
Nation Camp Restriction
We may instruct a player not to enter the nation camp of the protected party. For example, we could restrict a player from entering the Wintermark camp. The ban would apply throughout the event - including before and after time-in.
If the protected party changes character or changes nation then they could approach Profound Decisions between events to have the restricted nation camp updated.
A player cannot be restricted from accessing their own nation camp but obviously, their character cannot change nation to join a restricted nation.
Expectations
The expectation is that the protected party will want to avoid interactions with the restricted party, but they are not formally required to do so. The aim of these measures is to provide the person with additional protection that doesn't carry any reciprocal measures that would restrict their activities or place them at risk of breaching any additional rules.
In theory, these rules do not have any requirements for the restricted party to move away if they are approached by the protected party. In effect the restricted party is required to avoid reducing the distance between them and the protected party - they are not required to actively increase the distance.
In practice, some restricted parties will want to take sensible steps to avoid the protected party if they become aware that proximity is taking place. If the restricted party complains that the protected party is repeatedly approaching them or engaging them in conversation and that was causing them distress, then we would investigate that, and if that did appear to be the case, we could discuss the situation with the protected party and look at whether the additional measures were still needed. We could consider switching to a must-avoid in the narrow range of circumstances where there was credible evidence to suggest that the protected party was deliberately trying to abuse the rules to cause distress to the restricted party by repeatedly approaching them.
Operation
Any of the three measures could be applied in concert with the others as appropriate. A participant could be told not to interact with the protected party and to avoid the Wintermark camp for example - or to avoid Wintermark and the Imperial Senate. It would not be appropriate to restrict a player from multiple nation camps or from multiple game areas - at that point, Profound Decisions should contemplate an event ban instead.
No additional restrictions should be put in place under any circumstances without the explicit request of the protected party.
Duration
Additional measures would last indefinitely, for as long as the protected party continued to attend the event. If we identified that the protected party had not attended five events in a row, then any restrictions on nation camps or game areas would be put into remission. We would inform the restricted party that they were no longer under that restriction until the protected party returned to the event.
Any of these measures would be automatically lifted at the request of the protected party.