The majority of members of Thousand Roads will never receive more than an occasional minor request from a moderator to stop doing something, to delete a message, or otherwise make a small correction. However, for those curious about how the disciplinary process works or those currently going through it who want a better idea of what to expect, this guide breaks down each step of the process.

In general, the Discord server and forums are treated separately in terms of discipline. A user muted on the Discord generally has no posting restrictions on the forums, for example. In many cases, a ban from one of the platforms will not translate to a ban from the other, so long as the behavior that caused the banning doesn't cross over between the two. For example, someone who's banned from the Discord server for flooding channels with off-topic messages but who doesn't have a problem staying on-topic and posting at a reasonable rate in forum threads will not be banned from the forums. However, if the ban-worthy behavior crosses over between the two platforms, or in cases where the behavior is particularly severe, then a ban on one platform may be accompanied by a ban on the other, even if no disciplinary action had been taken on the other platform yet.

Because Discord and the forum software operate very differently, the majority of this guide is split into two sections that discuss the platforms individually. At the end of this guide there's a section that discusses appealing a ban or other disciplinary action, which applies across both platforms. Note that in all cases, disciplinary actions are at the discretion of the moderator. In some cases, users may even be banned immediately without prior warning, but this only happens in extreme or unusual circumstances, such as a previously-banned user showing up under a new account or a user posting something extremely inflammatory, like child pornography.

The Discord disciplinary ladder is as follows: Informal Warning -> Formal Warning -> Timeout -> Tempban -> Permanent Ban

These work like so:

• Informal Warning: An informal warning may happen either in the chat or by DM. In its simplest form it may be a request for you to drop a topic or delete a post. An informal warning by DM usually occurs when a moderator wasn't around to send a message in the chat when the inappropriate post was made and where bringing the issue back up in the chat could cause further problems. Any exchange where a moderator asks you to modify your behavior constitutes an informal warning.
• Formal Warning: A formal warning will usually occur after one to three informal warnings. A formal warning, as well as all higher punishments, will be given to you through the server's moderation bot (currently Carl-bot). The warning will be accompanied by a message indicating why the warning was given, how long it will take to expire, what the next step taken would be if there are futher problems, and which moderator to contact in order to discuss the warning. If you're confused about why you received the warning or have any other questions, feel free to contact the moderator indicated in the warning message.
• Timeout: Discord's built-in "Timeout" function replaces the "mute" role employed by many servers. It allows a user to remain in a server and see what's happening there but not actually interact with it. A user in Timeout can't post messages, use reacts, or join voice or video chats. Timeouts may be of variable lengths, but the typical time given is 24 hours.
• Tempban: A tempban kicks the user out of the server and prevents them from rejoining for a set period of time. A tempban may be of any duration but is typically two weeks long.
• Permanent Ban: A permanent ban kicks the user out of the server and prevents them from rejoining. Unlike a temporary ban, a permanent ban lasts indefinitely--the only way it will be lifted is through an appeal. More information on appeals is given at the end of this guide.

If you've advanced past the informal warning stage of the ladder, you generally will drop back one rung after thirty days--that is, if you received a formal warning, thirty days later you would return to the "informal warning" level and any further problems would lead to another formal warning. On the other hand, if you've had a formal warning and into trouble again within thirty days, you will advance to receiving a timeout. The intent here is if someone had a problem with spamming but got it under control, then got a bit spammy two years later, that later spamming infraction wouldn't immediately rocket them up to a ban based on previous warnings they'd received.

While the thirty day window is typical for warning expiry, the length of the window is ultimately at the moderator's discretion. For example, if someone was observed to be "running out the clock" on a warning (not causing problems for thirty days, then immediately starting up again once the warning had expired, and repeat), they could expect to see their warnings take much longer to expire than for other users. Similarly, for some special cases, rungs of the disciplinary ladder may be skipped or the time associated with certain punishments may be adjusted (e.g. a tempban may be extended past two weeks, or might be made shorter).

The forum disciplinary ladder is as follows: Informal Warning -> Formal Warning 1 -> Formal Warning 2 -> Tempban -> Permanent Ban

The disciplinary ladder on the forums is a bit different than the one used on the Discord server as both the software and the discussion environment are quite different. There's no real equivalent of the "timeout" function on the forums, for example, and not being able to post for 24 hours on the forums is a rather different punishment than not being able to post for 24 hours on the Discord server.

The punishments on the forum disciplinary ladder work like so:

• Informal Warning: An informal warning may happen either in a thread or by DM. In its simplest form it may be a request for you to drop a topic or delete a post. An informal warning by DM usually occurs when a moderator wasn't around to post a message before the discussion in the thread moved on or because they're asking for a post to be deleted and having a "delete that, please" left in the thread would be confusing. Any exchange where a moderator asks you to modify your behavior constitutes an informal warning.
• Formal Warning: A formal warning will usually occur after one to three informal warnings. A formal warning is made through Xenforo's built-in warning system and will be recorded for moderators to view at any time in the future, even after it has expired. If a formal warning is tied to a particular post, that post will display a message that the user who made it received a warning for it. When you receive a formal warning, you will also receive a DM from the moderator who gave it indicating why the warning was given, how long it will be before it expires, and what next steps will be if there are further problems. If you're confused about why you received the warning or have any other questions, you may reply to this DM.
• Tempban: If you've been tempbanned on the forums, you will not be able to view any pages while logged in. Instead the forums will display a notice indicating that you have been banned, why, and how long the ban will last. If you need to contact a moderator for clarification or to discuss the ban, please use the Staff Contact Form or send a DM on Discord. A tempban may be of any duration but is typically two weeks long.
• Permanent Ban: If you've been banned on the forums, you will not be able to view any pages while logged in. Instead the forums will display a notice indicating that you have been banned and why. Unlike a temporary ban, a permanent ban lasts indefinitely--the only way it will be lifted is through an appeal. More information on appeals is given at the end of this guide.
• If you've advanced past the informal warning stage of the ladder, you generally will drop back one rung after thirty days--that is, if you got your first formal warning, thirty days later you would return to the "informal warning" level and any further warning would be taken as your first. On the other hand, if you have your first formal warning and get warned again within thirty days, you will advance to your second formal warning. The intent here is if someone had a problem with spamming but got it under control, then got a bit spammy two years later, that later spamming infraction wouldn't immediately rocket them up to a ban based on previous warnings they'd received.

While the thirty day window is typical for warning expiry, the length of the window is ultimately at the moderator's discretion. For example, if someone was observed to be "running out the clock" on a warning (not causing problems for thirty days, then immediately starting up again once the warning had expired, and repeat), they could expect to see their warnings take much longer to expire than for other users. Similarly, for some special cases, rungs of the disciplinary ladder may be skipped or the time associated with certain punishments may be adjusted (e.g. a tempban may be extended past two weeks, or might be made shorter).

If you believe that you have been banned or otherwise punished unfairly on the Discord or forums, you may appeal. If you are not banned and have issue with a punishment handed out by a moderator, you can DM a different moderator on Discord or the forums or use the Staff Contact Form to send a message to all staff members indicating that you want to appeal. If you've been banned, you may not be able to DM the moderators and should use the Staff Contact Form. It doesn't matter whether the punishment you want to appeal was related to the Discord server or the forums; you can contact the staff through either platform according to your preference.

Discipline appeals are generally discussed by the whole moderation team. If you contacted a moderator directly about an appeal, they will serve as your liaison with the rest of the mods, asking you any questions on behalf of the moderators and letting you know the outcome of the discussion. If a lot of discussion is anticipated, the matter may instead be handled as a group DM with the moderation team. For logistical reasons, these will usually take place by forum DM rather than by Discord DM as long as you have a forum account. Either way the moderation team will review the disciplinary action taken and your arguments for why it was unwarranted and let you know whether the punishment will be reversed, lightened, or left unchanged. Disciplinary appeals often take a fair amount of discussion and involve the entire staff team, which is spread across multiple time zones; please allow at least a couple or days for the mod team to get back to you with a verdict.

Please note that ban reversals are extremely rare. Members are not banned lightly and are usually given multiple opportunities to take a different course before being permanently banned. A ban will only be reversed if the mod team believes that it was given in error, usually as a result of a misunderstanding or bad information, or if the mod team feels reassured that the same sorts of problems won't recur if the member is allowed to return to the community. Your ban appeal should therefore focus on why you think the mod team's decision to call for a ban was incorrect and/or what you intend to do differently in the future to ensure that a second ban will not be necessary.