Welcome to Tournament Policy! Tournament Policy is a new section of Smogon forums in which policy pertaining to the Tournaments subforum will be discussed and announced. Prior to the creation of this section the discussion was mostly scattered around the forums or simply not there, which is something we intend to change. Unlike the Tournaments related threads created in Inside Scoop, this section of forums will be closely moderated by the TD team. By creating this new section we intend to make our reasoning behind our decision making more public and to generate more community involvement, too.
As Tournament Policy is part of Policy Review, we expect you to follow the general rules set up by Hikari, but also the Tournament Policy specific posting guidelines set up by the TD team.
Tournament Policy is designed in a way that all Smogon users (with the exception of Tournament Banned users) can view the threads and its content, but only badged users can create or post in threads. However, non-badged users can request posting access by approaching a TD either here on forums or on Discord (you can find us at the top of the userlist in the official Smogon Tournaments Discord server). The reasoning behind this system is to ensure that Tournament Policy remains inclusive and accessible to those interested in joining the discussion, but it filters out the newer users who are better off lurking a little more at first in order to maintain a higher level of discussion.
Keep in mind that when creating a thread it should be focused on resolving something you perceive to be an imperfection in the way the Tournaments sub-forum is run, and preferably offer a suggestion on how improvements can be made.
The TD team reserves the right to remove any user's posting access that doesn't follow the aforementioned guidelines. We intend to promote intelligent and transparent discussion between the tournament players and its directors, so please do not misuse the opportunity to do so. Do not shitpost. This is not the place for that. Shitposts will be deleted and your posting access revoked.
If you have any questions for the TD team regarding Tournament Policy that isn't answered by the information above, then feel free to contact one of us directly.
As Tournament Policy is part of Policy Review, we expect you to follow the general rules set up by Hikari, but also the Tournament Policy specific posting guidelines set up by the TD team.
- Arguing with people is fine, and encouraged even. Having differing opinions is completely normal, and of course presenting a case for your view is legitimate. However, don't be an ass. Do not try to derail the topic, shift the goalposts, or just sling insults at each other. Behave courteously and intelligently.
- Before you post, make sure you read the topic you are posting on. By this, we don't just mean to read the original post, but also to at least skim through the thread. Presenting the same stuff that has already been brought up multiple times does not help anyone.
- Make sure you can add something to the discussion. If you aren't familiar with the topic at hand, don't post. You may want to contribute, but an uninformed opinion just wastes everyone's time.
- If you want to start a thread, make sure it is related to general tournament policies pertaining to the Tournaments subforum. It is recommended to talk with a Tournament Director before creating a thread.
- Please do not post for people who do not have this ability in Tournament Policy. If they wish to contribute, they can contact a Tournament Director directly.
- The TD team will strive to reach a conclusion within 2 weeks of a thread being started. Whether that conclusion is to keep the status quo or change something is irrelevant as long as one is reached. Exceptions can be made in the event of extremely lively and/or controversial discussions, but should be avoided.
Tournament Policy is designed in a way that all Smogon users (with the exception of Tournament Banned users) can view the threads and its content, but only badged users can create or post in threads. However, non-badged users can request posting access by approaching a TD either here on forums or on Discord (you can find us at the top of the userlist in the official Smogon Tournaments Discord server). The reasoning behind this system is to ensure that Tournament Policy remains inclusive and accessible to those interested in joining the discussion, but it filters out the newer users who are better off lurking a little more at first in order to maintain a higher level of discussion.
Keep in mind that when creating a thread it should be focused on resolving something you perceive to be an imperfection in the way the Tournaments sub-forum is run, and preferably offer a suggestion on how improvements can be made.
The TD team reserves the right to remove any user's posting access that doesn't follow the aforementioned guidelines. We intend to promote intelligent and transparent discussion between the tournament players and its directors, so please do not misuse the opportunity to do so. Do not shitpost. This is not the place for that. Shitposts will be deleted and your posting access revoked.
If you have any questions for the TD team regarding Tournament Policy that isn't answered by the information above, then feel free to contact one of us directly.