Server rules exist so that when something goes wrong, you and the player already agreed on what was allowed. A list nobody read does not do that, which is why length is the enemy.
The test a rule has to pass
Could a new player, reading it once, predict how you would rule on a specific incident? «Don't be toxic» fails that test — everyone thinks their own behaviour is fine. «No slurs, no harassment, no arguing with staff in public chat» passes it, because each part names something.
A structure that works
- Start with what gets you banned immediately
Cheating, griefing, slurs. Three items, no explanation needed. This is the part people actually read.
- Then what gets you a warning
Spam, arguing about rules in public, minor disputes. People need to know that not everything is a ban.
- Then the server-specific ones
Claim sizes, PvP zones, farm limits. These are the ones your players genuinely do not know and cannot guess.
- End with how to appeal
One line. A ban with no route back is how a mistake becomes permanent.
If the list says no swearing and staff swear in chat, the whole list becomes decoration and every future enforcement looks arbitrary. Write down what you will actually act on and delete the rest — a short honest list has more authority than a long aspirational one.
Vague versus enforceable
| Vague | Enforceable |
|---|---|
| Be respectful | No slurs, no harassment, no targeting individuals |
| Don't grief | Don't break or take from builds that are not yours |
| No lag machines | No permanent clocks or farms over 200 entities |
| Don't spam | Don't send the same message more than twice |
| Use common sense | (delete this — it means nothing) |
A rules book at spawn is read by the people who already behave. The rules that get read are the ones in the Discord channel topic, in the join message, and in the message shown when someone is warned.