[neocron]

Tribunal is a Final Fantasy XI Linkshell based on the Gilgamesh Server that was established in June 2006. Tribunal is a new endgame Linkshell which, at this time, specializes in Sky raids. We are a friendly, family-oriented Linkshell which supports our members endgame goals.

Tribunal does not support or endorse actions and activies that violate the Final Fantasy XI Terms of Service (TOS) Agreement. We here at Tribunal feel that such actions and activies goes against the spirit of the game and hinders the enjoyment of the game for all players.

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Tribunal Rules and Policies
Last Updated: June 16, 2006

- Profanity and other offensive language (including, but not limited to ethnic and sexual) will not be tolerated. Such behavior will result in one (1) warning. A repeat offense will result in being asked to leave the Linkshell.

- Tribunal has a one Sky-LS only policy. Please note that at this time, Tribunal only does Sky runs. If and when Tribunal branches out into other areas (Sea, HNM's, Dynamis, etc), this rule will become a blanket policy. Social LS's are exempt from this rule.

- Attendance to Tribunal Sky Farming runs and Sky God Raids are mandatory. Members who fail to attend three (3) runs within a one month period may be asked to leave the Linkshell. There is one exception to this rule. We here at Tribunal understand real-life obligations and it's impact on play-time. If anything should come up that prevents you from attending a Tribunal run, please contact one of the officers. Members who contact an officer will be excused from the run and this excusal will not count towards the three (3) run abscences per month tally. Please note that should you be excused from a run and remain online doing other things, your excusal will be revoked and your failure to attend will count towards the three (3) run absences per month tally.

- When attending a Tribunal run, please come prepared (i.e. bring supplies and/or Oil and Powder).

- Try to be on-time for all Tribunal runs. A grace-period of 30 minutes will be extended to allow time for members to meet at the designated meeting places. After the 30 minute grace period has expired, the run will start with or without you.

- During Tribunal Runs, please refrain from chatting in /linkshell. During Tribunal Runs, /linkshell chat is reserved for linkshell-wide communication as it pertains to the Run (example: designated pullers in Dynamis using /linkshell to announce a pull).

- Membership into Tribunal requires the following:
At least one (1) job at level 75.
Access to Tu'Lia (Sky)

- Tribunal has a zero-tolerance policy in regards to third-party programs and/or actions that break the Final Fantasy XI Terms of Service Agreement. That said, individuals who use third party programs such as (but not limited to) Windower and Bot-scripts) will not be allowed membership into Tribunal. Any Tribunal member (or officer) that is found to use any such program will be immediately asked to leave the Linkshell. This also applies to MPKing, harrassment, RMT, and other such activities mentioned either directly or indirectly in the Final Fantasy XI Terms of Service Agreement.

- Points are accrued/used according to the following standards:
Two (2) points will be earned for attending each farming run. Leaving a farming run early will result in a Two (2) point penalty.

Points will be earned for attending the following Raid Runs:

Two (2) Points - General Limbus Areas
Two (2) Points - Sky Gods (Genbu, Byakko, Seiryu, Suzaku, and/or Kirin)
Two (2) Points - Kings (Behemoth, King Behemoth, Fafnir, Nidhogg, Adamantoise, and/or Aspidochelone)
Three (3) Points - CoP Wyrms (Vtra, Ouryu, Tiamat, and/or Jormugand)
Three (3) Points - Jailors aka Sea Gods (Faith, Fortitude, Temperance, Hope, Justice, Prudence, Love, and/or Absolute Virtue)
Three (3) Points - Proto-Omega / Proto-Ultima

Points may be used to lot on drops. Different drops have different point values.

When determining lotting priority, the individual with the highest number of points has lotting priority on a single item, followed by the individual with the next highest number of points and so on. At the beginning of a run, the lotting priority will be announced. In the event two (2) or more individuals have the same number of points (a tie), those individuals will /random to determine lotting priority, where the individual with the highest /random becomes the individual with lotting priority. Individuals with lotting priority can either stay or pass, which is defined as:

Stay: By using Stay, the individual will keep their lotting priority for an item. Should the item drop, that individual will be the one who lots on the item while everyone else passes. The item's point value will be deducted from the individual's Point Tally.
Pass: By using Pass, the individual passes on their lotting priority for an item. The individual with the next highest number of points will get lotting priority (who can either choose to Stay or Pass).

There is no job priority for items. The only prerequisite for lotting priority is to have the required number of points to lot on an item.

Crafting items (such as Damascene Cloth, Shining Cloth, etc) may be lotted on only by individuals who are going to use the item towards having an item made that specifically calls for the item in question in it's recipe (i.e. Shining Cloth and Noble's Tunic). These items may not be lotted on to be sold for profit by individuals. In the event that this criteria is not met, the item will be held in the Linkshell Bank for a period of one (1) month. During this holding period, individuals may exchange their points for the item provided they meet the critera. At the end of this time, the item will be sold and the proceeds will be held by the Linkshell Bank. Points may be exchanged for gil from the Linkshell Bank at a rate of ten (10) points per one (1) million gil. Note the ability to exchange points for gil is limited by the amount of gil held by the Linkshell Bank (which will be reported along with a transaction history on a monthly basis on the Tribunal Forums).

Items obtained from Tribunal Runs may not be sold. Individuals caught selling an item obtained from a Tribunal Run will be required to pay the sale price of the item at the time the individual is caught to the Linkshell Bank. Failure to pay the required amount will result in being asked to leave the Linkshell. Please remember items obtained from Tribunal Runs are obtained through the hard work of many people and selling an item obtained from a Tribunal Run is basically profiting off of the hard work of others.
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If you are interested in joining Tribunal, please visit the Tribunal - Recruiting section of the Tribunal Website forums, located at:

http://www.guilduniv....aspx?fid=53372

The Tribunal Website is located at:

http://www.guilduniverse.com/tribunal/

[Sammonoske]

Doh.. I really need to lvl.. I'd love to join >.< lvl 66 drg -.-

[Stamp]

That said, individuals who use third party programs such as (but not limited to) Windower and Bot-scripts) will not be allowed membership into Tribunal

lol

[Neena]

They're probably referring to bots, which means you Stamp.

[neocron]

I actually am referring to anything that changes the way the game is played. I firmly believe in the gameplay experience S-E intended when they released the game and feel third party programs change the gameplay experience.

Something like Windower is a perfect example here. If S-E wanted FFXI to be playable in a window rather than in full-screen mode, they would have either released the game with that functionality or they would have added it in like SoE did with EQ1 back in early 2001.

That aside, I don't want Tribunal to be like every other endgame shell on the server. I know of many endgame shells which are great (I've even been in some of them)... but I feel many endgame shells play a very dangerous game in regards to third party programs. With S-E starting to take a much more proactive stance regarding these programs, I don't feel the risk of being banned is overrided by any potential benefits. I personally think it would suck to be in a linkshell that has a successful run doing whatever only to be thrown into Mordian Gaul and having a GM destroy the items obtained from the run and/or issuing a temporary ban on everyone in the linkshell because someone in said linkshell felt it was necessary to use third party programs.

In the end... I'd rather not deal with any of that. Of course, the question many people would (and have) asked is how would I know who is using a third party program? The simple answer is I can't. All I can do is trust the people who join Tribunal and go from there. The only way I can ever know someone is using a third party program is if they slip up and talk about it. If we finish a Kirin run and someone talks about how much damage was parsed, that's generally a pretty good indication that individual is using a third party program.

And don't get me started on bots. All I will say is if you need a VokeBot to claim something, you probably shouldn't be claiming anything in the first place...

[Boshi]

Ok, then exclude 97% of the FFXI PC population. You gotta relax on some stuff, but I don't mind that you have zero posts on your forum by anyone but you.

[neocron]

There are zero posts by anyone on the Tribunal Forums except me because the linkshell is only 3 days old and I'm recruiting. Thus far I haven't had too much success in my recruiting, but that's ok. I'd rather have a small number of people who like the rules rather than make rules that appeal to 97% of a platform's population who feels the FFXI TOS doesn't apply to them. After all... how can I trust people to follow all of Tribunal's rules when said people can't even follow one simple rule in the TOS?

I'm not trying to slam people for the choices they make. But I do ask they be held accountable for their choices.

[Ferion]

The day SE considers RMT a bigger offense than using a windower is the day I consider taking the ToS seriously. There's a difference between following rules that actually effect others and rules that just seem to be thrown in there for the hell of it.

[neocron]

Ah Ferion.... that's where the problem lies. S-E has issued temporary bans on endgame shells for using third party programs. In instances where items were obtained while the discovered third party programs were in effect, the items were removed in addition to the temporary ban.

So what you do does have the potential to affect others.

As for the whole RMT trade versus third party programs, I completely agree with you. I feel RMT is far more offensive than using Windower without any plugins. However... as players our compliance with the TOS is either absolute or not at all. I don't believe the TOS is some pillar of virtue... but at the same time I believe the TOS was put in place for a reason. And as players, we agree to that TOS each and every time we login. And ultimately, as long as the TOS prohibits the use of third-party programs, I will maintain the zero-tolerance policy towards them.

The way I look at it, there's plenty of other LS's on our server that have no problem with using third-party programs and questionable actions like RMT and bots/scripts. So from my point of view, if someone feels alienated by Tribunal's zero tolerance policy, it's not like there aren't other options available to where everyone wins.

EDIT: One more thing. The only thing the zero-tolerance policy states is your not allowed to utilize third-party programs while your taking part in Tribunal events. If any member wishes to utilize a third-party program while they are on their own time... more power to them. The zero-tolerance policy is meant to ensure that while members/officers are participating in Tribunal events, they do so without such tools. The same applies to RMT, MPK'ing, harrassment, etc. What people do on their own time is their business. So really... how difficult is it to play FFXI without Windower or other third-party programs for a few hours?

[Boshi]

Well, I mean, I can pretty much garantee you almost all your PC members (if your ls ever gets started) will just be lieing to you about their windower use.

[neocron]

Well see Boshi I kinda count on that. As I said earlier, the only way I'm going to know whether someone uses third party programs is if they specifically talk about it. I don't have a section on the application that asks "Do you use Third-Party Programs". Personally I could care less what people do or don't do on their own time.

However, when people are doing Tribunal events, they better be following the rules of the linkshell. If someone has a slip of tongue and talks about how much damage he/she parsed, that person is out of the linkshell.... no questions asked. And if the linkshell gets put into Mordian Gaul over someone in the linkshell utilizing third party programs, I'm going to point the GM to the LS Rules and Policies and then inquire as to who it was that was utilizing third party programs during the event so the offending person can be removed from the LS without any further reprisals from the GM.

On another note, I understand why people use Windower. They want to be able to multi-task. They don't want to be locked to their computer. They want to be free to surf the internet while waiting for a party and whatnot. However, the question that begs to be asked is this:

Why would you want to be able to multi-task while doing a Sky run? Does multi-tasking make killing Kirin any faster? Does having the ability to pull up Allakhazam while camping MG make MG pop any faster? The simple truth of the matter is there is no reason on this green Earth why anyone would want to multi-task during an event.

Now lets discuss the assorted plugins for Windower. If you need to know everyone's TP at all times, your a control freak... pure and simple. If you can't trust the people you are doing an event with to report their TP, then something is wrong. And if your a RNG and you don't know the optimal distance from a mob to get max damage on ranged attacks, something is wrong. Using a distance plugin might have been excuseable back when S-E made the change... but that was almost a year ago. Any RNG who is serious about what they are doing already know the optimal distance. Hell... my RNG is level 10 and I know the optimal distance.

Something else I want to bring up is LS reputation. Seems like every endgame shell on this server has a negative reputation. I've heard people say Osiris MPK's people. I've heard people say Emerald is comprised of a bunch of elitist d%cks. I've heard people say Spoondaggers uses bots/scripts. And who hasn't heard something bad about HighCouncil? I don't care how much of this is true or not... and I'm certainly not going to discuss it. I know plenty of people in the LS's I've mentioned so I know the truth (and lies) in some of these linkshells. But it does make one question the server's collective opinion of said endgame shells.

I don't want Tribunal to be cast in that light. I want people to think of Tribunal as a nice friendly endgame shell. And more importantly, I want Tribunal to be accepted as a nice alternative to what seems to have become a haven for RMT and third party programs. And I like I said before... what you do on your own time is your business. What you do as an individual has no impact on the working and image of an endgame shell. It's what you do while your with your endgame shell that has an impact.

Are people who use Windower really so narrow-minded that they are unable to turn off Windower for a few hours a week while doing stuff with Tribunal? I'd like to think not... if for no other reason I'm providing a number of incentives for making that minor sacrifice.

1) Drops do not have job priority. That means the only thing you need to get that A. Abjuration: Hands as a BLM is the points. No having to wait for all the WHM's and RDM's in the shell to get the Abjuration first before you can get it. That right there seperates Tribunal from a great many Sky LS's.

2) The ability to trade in points for gil from the Linkshell Bank. Most endgame shells I'm aware of use the Linkshell Bank to finance LS events. Tribunal's bank will be no different... but members have the ability to get some of that gil for their own personal benefit. I don't know if other LS's do this... but I think it's a novel idea.

3) A VERY lax attendance policy. Yes Tribunal Runs are mandatory... but the only thing you gotta do if you can't make a Tribunal Run is let an officer know and your excused. Excused absences are not penalized in any way. I know of endgame shells where if you miss a single run, your out of the shell. That's rather draconian in my opinion and Tribunal does not have that sort of attendance policy.

And all I ask for these benefits is you turn off Windower and other third party programs for a few hours a week. I don't think I'm asking too much here... but if I am, it's not like there aren't other endgame shells out there that would gladly take you.

Everyone wins as far as I'm concerned.

[Furiousangels]

Wait... You're actually expecting to find people who do not use the windower?

lol....

[neocron]

No FuriousAngel... I not trying to find people who don't use windower and bots. Such a task would be near impossible. However, I am trying to find people who are willing to turn the bloody things off for a few hours a week while attending Tribunal runs. If you had taken the time to read some of the posts on this thread (most notably the post right above your post), you might have been able to save yourself the trouble of posting what you posted...

It seems the latter is about as impossible as the former. **lol**

[Furiousangels]

Why turn off the windower just for an event? What's the point? Seriously.

Also, I didn't read the post above mine, or nearly any of your posts because I don't really feel like wasting my time reading something that isn't far off an A4 page. Not only is it pointless, but something that isn't even worth the read.

[neocron]

Well Furious.... I don't know what to tell you. If you can't take the time to read the posts, then don't expect me to repeat what I've already said before.

[Charz]

Neocron, You make a very persausive argument for your cause for 3rd party program banning. I personally have no problem with this becuase I can so easily switch between my 360 or computer.

You surprised me with your accurate reasons and I'd like to join your LS.

I'll be making a formal application on your webpage.

[Renarudo]

Your LS rules are very well-outlined, and you are very strict while being very fair to people who want to follow the rules.

While I'd like to join your linkshell, I just re-joined a LS I was previously a part of. To leave them after this would definately be burning bridges, so I'd like to avoid that

(But with recent LS drama, I'm sure you can expect to see me soon) lollerskates.

[neocron]

Glad to have you in the shell Charz! I'll look forward to getting your application on the Tribunal website so I can get you a pearl. I must warn you that since Tribunal is a new linkshell, things will be a bit slow to start. I'm looking for at least 12 people before I begin god pop farming and at least 18 people before I begin god runs.

And Renarudo, no worries. Tribunal will be here if things go sour in your current linkshell.

[~ChipCheapShot~]

lol, couldnt read it all but seems you have wall-o-text down pat. good luck out there man, hope your ls succeeds.

[neocron]

lol - yea I know the wall-o-text seems a bit oppressive. You should have seen it before I formatted it... it was damn near unreadable (even I had trouble reading it in it's unformatted form). **lol**

Anyway, thank you for the vote of luck.