Swords and Ravens Game Rules
To ensure a fair, respectful, and enjoyable experience for all players, please adhere to the following community guidelines. By using this platform, you automatically accept and agree to these rules.
1) Be kind and respectful to other players
Foul language, harassment, and other toxic behavior will not be tolerated. If you experience players breaking the rules (such as flaming), please do not respond in kind. Instead, report them to the staff team.
2) English is the default language in game chat
On a general basis, English is the only language allowed in game chat. If you wish to host a game in another language, you must clearly state the language in the game title when creating it. For example: "6 player live game [GERMAN]".
3) Make sure you have enough time to play
Playing A Game of Thrones live with 6 players can often take more than 3 hours. If you are unsure whether you have enough time to play a full live game, make sure to communicate this in the lobby. Let the other players decide if it is acceptable. For example, if everyone agrees to either switch to play-by-email mode after 2 hours, or when you need to leave, then that is acceptable.
4) Make your moves as quickly as possible
A Game of Thrones is a long game, and it is in everyone's interest to finish in a reasonable time. By making your moves slowly, you may find yourself restricted from joining certain games where the host has set a speed filter above your average speed.
Note: After 5 days of inactivity in a game, our moderators may step in to make moves on behalf of inactive players to keep the game progressing for the remaining active participants.
5) Finish all your games and play to the best of your ability
This is one of the most important rules for online gaming. Even if you are losing, be respectful toward other players and finish your game as well as you can. It is what you would have wanted if you were winning! Finish with grace.
Special consideration for LIVE games: In live games only, if your position becomes clearly hopeless and continuing would require you to wait extended periods without meaningful participation, you may ask the other players for vassalization. We do not want to force players to remain in front of their computers in situations where the game is effectively over for them. However, this is not acceptable in play-by-email (PBEM) games, where you can make your moves with your remaining resources when it's your turn without the burden of continuous waiting.
6) Zero tolerance for multiple accounts
There is a zero-tolerance policy toward players having multiple accounts. If you suspect anyone of multi-accounting, report them immediately. Abusing this rule will result in all accounts involved being permanently banned.
7) Kingmaking is part of the game
With full conviction, there are no kingmaking rules. We believe that a player should be able to make almost any move that the game itself allows. Likewise, no one should have the right to force another player to make a certain move, for example to prevent a third player from winning. Anticipate that an opponent may be out for revenge and consider kingmaking as a possible consequence of your actions. Adjust your play accordingly, rather than relying on a non-existent rule to constrain your opponents.
Furthermore, the introduction of the Mother of Dragons expansion has clearly shown that kingmaking is a necessary diplomatic factor for House Targaryen, for example, to threaten the eastern houses in Westeros to help a western house win if they do not cease their aggression.
Check out this interesting discussion on the topic: "King Me": A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design
8) Alliances may only be formed during the game
Permanent prearranged alliances can essentially be considered multi-accounting and spoil the fun for everyone. They are unethical and therefore not allowed. Diplomatic agreements should emerge naturally from the game situation, not from external arrangements.
General Terms of Use
In addition to the community rules above, the following general terms apply to your use of this site.
Eligibility
You must be at least 16 years old — or the minimum age at which you can consent to an online service without parental permission under the law of your country, if higher — to create an account or play on this site. By registering, you also confirm that you own a licensed copy of the physical board game.
Your account
You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity that happens under your account. Sign-in via Google, Discord, or Facebook is provided for convenience; we are not responsible for the availability, security, or policies of those third-party providers. See our Privacy Policy for details on what account data we store.
Acceptable use
Besides the community guidelines above, you agree not to:
- use bots, scripts, or other automated tools to play on your behalf or to gain an unfair advantage;
- exploit bugs or unintended behavior instead of reporting them;
- attempt to disrupt, overload, or gain unauthorized access to the site or other players' accounts;
- upload, post, or transmit anything illegal, or that infringes someone else's rights;
- impersonate another person, or misrepresent your affiliation with anyone.
Intellectual property
Swords and Ravens is a free, non-commercial fan project — see the About page for details, including our source code license and the disclaimer regarding Fantasy Flight Games / Edge Studio's intellectual property.
No warranty
This site is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. As a free, volunteer-run hobby project, we cannot guarantee uninterrupted availability, that the site will be error-free, or that game data will never be lost — although we take reasonable care to avoid this.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Swords and Ravens and its maintainers and contributors are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the site.
Suspension & termination
We may warn, suspend, or permanently ban any account that violates these terms or the community rules above, at our discretion and without prior notice. You may also stop using the site and request deletion of your account at any time — see the Privacy Policy for how.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time as the site evolves. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.
Contact
Questions about these terms can be raised on our Discord server or via GitHub.