| General |
- These Terms of Service (TOS) govern access to Gryffs. If you disagree with them you may not play the game. Failure to comply with these terms means you may lose accounts/items/gryffs, and not knowing is not an excuse. All players are expected to abide by the TOS. Updates to the TOS will be posted on the site news so users know when to read them again.
- Despite the fact that Gryffs is intended for all ages, users are required to be thirteen years of age or older to play Gryffs, to comply with the COPPA. We will not allow children under thirteen years of age to use our site, regardless of parental permission. Please be advised that in spite of the thirteen or older restriction, Gryffs is G rated.
- All users are forbidden from posting anything illegal under their own country's laws or under the United States laws (where Gryffs is hosted). Similarly, users are forbidden from posting material that is not acceptable for all audiences.
- While we strongly recommend against posting your personal information on our site for other users, we will not take action against this. This information includes IM accounts or emails, real names or contact addresses. If such information needs to be exchanged, players are encouraged to do so via private messaging and not through the public chat room.
- Scamming, harassing, or generally impolite behavior will be dealt with severely. Players are expected to act in a responsible, honest manner towards others.
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| Communication |
- Linking to materials that contain mature content is not allowed. This includes bad language or adult content. For this reason, linking to youtube has also been banned.
- Because Gryffs allows teens (13 and up) to join, swearing is not allowed anywhere on the site. This includes minor swears.
- Spamming is not allowed anywhere on the site. This includes multiple posts that have no real content (such as emoticons, ..., or random characters), sending repetitive messages, and private messaging users unprovoked for the sake of advertising.
- Public black listing of any kind is not allowed anywhere on the site. This includes but is not limited to: Any kind of list that adds a negative note to individuals, transaction black lists, etc.
- Targeting other users is not allowed in any way. This includes publically discussing issues regarding those players. If for any reason you find another user's behavior to be unacceptable, please contact a moderator or an admin through private messaging. If you're unsure if it is targeting, consider this: Can the user in question read your complaints, and know that it is them being spoken about? If so, you may not want to post it.
- Please refrain from posting angry comments about how other users play the game. This includes users that send gryffs to the Adoption Center, attack other gryffs, resell gryffs, etc.. These sorts of comments usually only make other users feel unwelcome.
- Please do not discuss content that has not been officially announced in the news in the chat room.
- Please do not discuss banned accounts in the public chat room. Issues with members are between the staff and those involved.
- Please do not post billboards, or post in the chat asking people to give away free stuff, donate to a cause, offer to take unwanted stuff, etc. This is considered begging on Gryffs, and bothers many people.
- Gryffs does not allow messages along the lines of "I'm quitting", "Who would care if I left?", etc. These messages make other members uncomfortable and are disruptive to the chat room.
- Advertising sales is allowed in the public chat room, but please do not advertise more than once before your last post is bumped off of the chat box.
- Due to Gryffs' strict content ratings, there are a few topics that we do not want discussed in the chat room. This includes in-depth religion and political conversations, as these often get out of hand. It also includes topics of violence (both towards animals and humans), crime, gore, drugs, sex, etc.
- Please discuss other sites in a respectful manner. While it is all right to say that a site isn't your style, comments that are purposely insulting or making fun of another site, be it of the management, game play, or art, are not allowed.
- Please use English when speaking in chat. Other languages are difficult to moderate and are not allowed. You may still use foreign languages when speaking to others in private messages.
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| Accounts |
- Each user may have one account only in which to play and collect Gryffs. The use of spare accounts to hold gryffs or items is not acceptable.
- Sharing an account is not allowed. Every user has one account only that they may not share with others. Account sharing is defined as letting another individual have access to your account in any way. Whether or not you know the person in real life is irrelevant. Everything that happens in an account is the responsibility of the account owner, including punishment.
- Account names cannot be changed unless by request of an admin. These name changes are permanent, and must have valid reason. Being tired of your name is not a valid reason.
- If two users share the IP address (i.e., family, friends, etc.), both accounts must be separately active. While users may transfer between these accounts, understand that it is at your own risk. If we find transactions to be suspect, they may be investigated.
- If you are sharing the same IP address with someone else, please be aware that it is unacceptable to use your account as extra storage space for their gryffs. If you are transferring a gryff to someone on the same IP address, be sure that this gryff is being transferred for keeps.
- Users on the same IP address may not exchange assets related to site events, as this may appear as multiple account abuse to admins.
- While we do allow animated tags, please refrain from using tags that are flashy. This includes tags that rotate between extremely bright colors, as both are disruptive to the chat room.
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| Transactions |
Rules regarding transactions between users on the same IP Address can be found under Account rules.
- Trading, selling, or giving away of accounts is strictly against the rules.
- Gryffs invites are intended to be given free of charge to new players. It is forbidden to accept any kind of benefit, asset, item, virtual or otherwise for invites.
- Users are allowed to trade Gryffs items or gryffs for other site currencies, as long as the site allows such a trade. However, trading Gryffs items, currency, or gryffs for USD, EUR, or other real currency is forbidden. This includes Gryffs derivative works.
* Derivative works refer to fan art, plushies, etc. Any sales that are made based solely on a creation of the Gryffs website. This is to protect our intellectual property such as unique items, designs, and characters.
Exceptions are made for gryffs who are clearly based on real life animals. You may also commission your gryff as another animal, so long as you exclude the items.
- There is no set price for items or gryffs, so players can ask for whatever price they want, no matter how unreasonable others may feel it is. Arguing that a price is too high in chat or on the billboard is not allowed - players are expected to just not buy the item and move on, rather than potentially discourage a sale to someone else by stating they do not feel the price is fair.
- In most cases, an admin will return lost damages that were the result of scamming, or the other player becoming inactive. However, there is a three day wait period before any transactions will be reversed due to a lack of response, regardless of reason. This is to give the current holder of said properties a chance to respond, as withholding another player's property is considered scamming, and is punishable by banning or fines.
- When making trades or transactions on Gryffs, please be sure that ALL specifics for the trade are discussed within Gryffs. Admins cannot return lost damages in the event of scamming, if we cannot find sufficient evidence that the item/gryff was originally yours, and not sold/given away.
Sub-Section on Gryff Sitting
* Gryff sitting refers to holding someone else's gryff for them for any reason.
- While Gryff sitting is not banned outright, please be aware that this is at the sole risk and responsibility of the Gryff's original owner. Admins may not be able to return lost damages due to the gryff sitters' actions. If you do not want to lose your gryff, do not transfer it outside of your account. Doing so means that you understand that there is a chance this gryff may not make it back to you, or may have lost damages as a result.
- While the above rule still applies, sitters are required to give the original owner at least 3 days (72 hours) to respond. If they disown a gryff before this three day notice is up, their disownment of said gryff will be considered scamming, and can be punishable. If a sitter does not wish to hold a gryff any longer, and does not wish to wait for a response, they can contact an admin (preferably #2) and transfer the gryff to their account as an alternative. The original owner can pick it up from there.
- All users are also required to have a gryff sitter's permission to transfer them a gryff. This is for every transfer. Just because a person has sat a gryff for you before, however many times, do not assume that they have the space, or the desire, to do so again.
- Since we need to be able to verify all conditions of a transfer (messages, chat transcripts, etc.), it becomes increasingly difficult to retrieve a gryff if a long period of time has passed. For this reason, we recommend that users transfer the gryffs back at least once every few months, and make sure that there are up to date messages discussing the arrangement before sending it back. If we cannot verify the conditions of the transfer, we cannot return your gryff(s) to you.
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