I want to have a written code of conduct for my league reinforcing our commitment to a safe and inclusive environment and expected behavior of players and the commitment of league officials to intervene we behavior makes anyone uncomfortable.
I would love to see examples as a starting point. Such documents are not easy to write and writing is certainly not my strength.
I am also interested in this as well. I was just thinking that I should write something like this for the tournaments Iām going to be running, and I would love to see what people have used in the past, in terms of the language used to convey a clear set of guidelines in terms player inclusion and safety.
The following is Conduct language that @Law and @YeOldPinPlayer use for the Tuesday Jam League here in Bat City:
CONDUCT:
Pinball players are a passionate bunch! Nonetheless, we need to act with decorum at all times.
All players (including league officials) will receive a warning for any unsportsmanlike conduct, including but not limited to:
Slam Tilting
Rage Tilting
Excessive Swearing
Donkey Kicks
Death Saves (attempted or successful)
Bang-backs
Verbal abuse of any player, official, or location staff
Unnecessary roughness
Slide saves that result in a game or gameās cupholder coming into contact with any other object or person
Any conduct that makes any other person feel unwelcome or unsafe.
Players are allowed two verbal warnings per season. If at any time a player accumulates three warnings in the same season, they are disqualified from that season and will receive last place overall. There are no exceptions to this rule, including during or at the end of finals. There are no exceptions for league officials. If any player witnesses conduct that falls under one of the above categories, it should be reported to a league official immediately.
Repeat offenses will be addressed as necessary. Multiple season disqualifications or an excessive number of warnings over multiple seasons may be grounds for a temporary or permanent league ban.
As per Joe Scaletta and the rest of the PPL Crew:
PPLersā¦along with our new season comes new rules for player conduct (sportsmanship). We strive to make the Pittsburgh Pinball League the best it can be, a league where less experienced players share machine time with seasoned competitive pinball vets, while respecting fellow players, facilities, and equipment.
New rule: Player conduct
PPL players are expected to maintain a level of sportsmanship during league events. This includes respecting the location, the machines, PPL players, and other patrons and/or workers of the location.
Verbal abuse directed at an official or another player is considered a violation of league rules. Loud verbal outbursts, especially vulgar or profane ones are also considered a violation.
Pinball machine abuse is also considered a violation. Machine abuse is defined as any type of violent shaking, kicking, dropping of the machine, hard smacks on the lock bar or glass, ārage tiltingā (tilting on purpose after a drain), shoving the machine etc. Note that nudging and tilting are both normal parts of pinball play, as are slap saves and any reasonable moves on a machine to try to save a ball, none of which are against league rules.
Violations: The SLOs will enforce these rules and violators will be subject to either: a verbal warning, yellow card, or red card depending on the severity of the offense. A verbal warning lets the player know they are violating the above rules. If a player has already been warned, or if an outburst or machine abuse is egregious, a yellow card will be issued. Extreme examples of the above or if any physical violence/threats occur towards another player, a red card can be issued.
Yellow card: A formal warning that gets recorded. If a second yellow card is issued in the same season, the offending player gets 10 points subtracted from their overall season score at the end of the season. Any additional yellow cards for said player eliminates them for the remainder of the season, including finals. No monetary refunds will be given in this instance.
Red card: The equivalent of 2 yellow cards. The player gets 10 points subtracted from their overall season score at the end of the season. Any additional yellow (or red) cards for said player eliminates them for the remainder of the season, including finals. No monetary refunds will be given.
I recently āwroteā one up for my league, you can view it at phillypinball.club
Itās the first revision so it will probably evolve. Itās not about pinball, the rules cover pinball
This is great. This is in-line with what I am looking for.
I feel like both of these place a lot more focus towards the ātreat the machines wellā side of stuff than the ātreat the players wellā side. āAny conduct that makes any other person feel unwelcome or unsafe.ā is good but I feel like anyone who does something and actually gets called out for it will cause a fuss because āhow was I supposed to know that would be an issue?ā. Compared to the 8 specific examples of things not to do to a machineā¦
No one has caused a fuss as a result of a yellow card being issued. Actually thatās not quite true - weāve had players say that officials assigning themselves yellow cards were being too stringent. You also donāt want to scare off new people with a giant list of what other people are not allowed to do to them during league, it sends the wrong message. This phrasing and enforcing it has generally worked reasonably well.
On the āhow was I supposed to knowā thing - players donāt have the end say on what is an official vs. unofficial conduct warning. Sometimes things are not official warnings but still need to be talked through. The idea is everything thatās iffy should be brought up and it can be addressed as appropriate. People know, and once theyāve been warned or seen others warned they definitely know.
The unofficial, heretofore unrecorded thing I tell everyone their first night is āNo Extra Balls, No Death Saves - if you donāt know what that is, donāt stress, and Donāt Be A Dick. If itās your first Jam, you have to pick a game.ā
We used to have some COC / rules for EPC18. My point is to try not to be ānegativeā in every rule 
, And keep it simple, so people will read them.
10 golden rules for EPC 2018 participant
PAPA/IFPA Tournament Rules will be followed in any tournament rulings.