By attending ConTingency in person or interacting online on any forum organised by Contingency you must agree to abide by this code of conduct.
WHY DO WE HAVE A CODE OF CONDUCT?
People have different experiences and ideas of how to behave and how they expect others to behave. This Code of Conduct outlines what everyone, including organizing team, traders, gamesmasters and players, can expect from others and what is expected from all of us during ConTingency. The organizers will try to deal fairly and respectfully with any issue brought to us. We may also make reasonable requests that are not specifically included here. People are responsible for themselves, their actions, and their own health.
You do not have to stay in any situation you feel uncomfortable in. You can leave at any time.
Our code of conduct can be summarized as “be excellent to each other”.
CHILDREN
Children and families are very welcome at ConTingency, however due to child protection requirements we are unable to offer any child minding services. If you bring under 18s they remain your responsibility at all times. Children under 13 must always be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
PETS
Pets are welcome in some of the accommodation, however if you bring pets they remain your responsibility at all times and you must ensure that they are is properly supervised, not dangerous and do not cause a nuisance or threat to anyone. The site rules require that dogs are kept on a lead at all times when on site and outside your accommodation.
DISABILITIES and SPECIAL NEEDS
We want ConTingency to be a fun time for all attending. Please let us know if you have any additional requirements that will affect your enjoyment of the event. We will do our very best to help. Things we have done in the past include arranging a powered buggy to help with getting around at the event, printing on coloured paper for easier reading, arranging discounts to cover the additional expense of having a carer attend, purchasing shower stools and handles for safer hygiene.
VOLUNTEERING AS GAMESMASTER
If you are interested in running a game, thank you! If you know in advance what you want to run and when please email contingency.uk@gmail.com or post on the facebook group so we can advertise your game.
As we are not meeting in the real world this year it will be difficult to arrange sign ups at short notice so we would ask you to get your games submitted as soon as you can.
SIGNING UP FOR GAMES
Most games will be signed up via warhorn. For those who do not want to use warhorn games can be offered through the facebook page or the convention discord server. Game sign-ups are on a first come first served basis, with a waitlist that will be used to fill spaces if people drop out of games.
TICKETS
Taking part in games at ConTingency Online does not requires the purchase of a ticket.
The income from ticket sales at ConTingency has always been donated to charity. We know this means a lot to you lovely people so we have made it possible to make a charity donation when registering on warhorn. We can also accept donations directly, please contact us if you would like to donate.
REWARD TICKETS
We are unable to offer reward tickets for the online event, sorry. We will count online games as well as games from Contingency 2020 towards priority accommodation booking for 2022
PUBLIC BEHAVIOUR
ConTingency should be a place where people feel comfortable and relaxed. We appreciate that some games will include adult material and may include topics that are not within what is normally publicly acceptable, we ask that any such games are identified as such on the sign-up sheets so players can opt in if they choose to. Any games not identified as having such themes must be suitable for a PG13 audience, this includes in character behaviour and comments.
Everyone at ConTingency should feel safe and no one should be shouted or sworn at or made to feel threatened. Also be aware that people may have health issues that effect their online play, please be considerate and if in doubt, ask.
HARRASSMENT: NO MEANS NO. ASK EVERY TIME.
No one at ConTingency should be put under any pressure to join in with things they do not want to do, this applies to both people and any character they are portraying.
This includes:
• Any sexual behaviour or comments
• discussing topics which are sensitive or personal
It is fine to ask someone once if they would like to do something. For example, “Would you like a hug?” If they refuse, continuing to ask is pestering them and will be viewed as harassment. If someone asks you to leave them alone, do so.
Unless it has been specified in the game description, “no”, “stop”, “don’t do that” or similar words and phrases will be taken at face value by the ConTingency organizers and volunteers, regardless of context.
Any games where non-consensual behaviour may be included must be identified as such on the sign in sheets and played in private.
DISCRIMINATION, RESPECTING DIFFERENCE
ConTingency is curated as a safe space for all attendees, regardless of ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, disability, religion and belief, age or lifestyle. Bigoted behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated.
Do not make negative comments or assumptions, or stereotype people on the basis of their skin colour, physical features, race, accent or religious belief. Negative comments about any aspect of a person’s culture or race, or fetishisation of cultural markers and physical features should be avoided.
ConTingency understands that some games are set in times and places where discrimination is a valid factor, if this is the case please ensure that this is made clear on the sign in sheets so people can choose whether to opt in.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Please respect people’s privacy. Ask permission before identifying anyone publicly. ‘Public’ includes write-ups on personal websites or on social networking sites such as Facebook or UKRoleplayers.
Do not take any photographs or recordings of people without their express permission. It is your responsibility to make sure everyone in shot is happy to be photographed.
If you give permission for your photo to be taken, assume it may end up online linked to you by name as people may not remember your preferences after ConTingency.
If you believe someone has taken your photograph without your permission you may ask them to delete the image or ask the desk or a volunteer to do so for you.
GETTING HELP TO DEAL WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND INCIDENTS
If you want support in challenging anyone’s behaviour or anything they’ve said, please contact the organizers who can assist you or speak to the person for you.
The organizers very much want to know about things that make people at ConTingency less likely to attend another event. If anything happens that makes you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome – even if you do not want us to do anything about it, or feel it is your fault – please let us know.
BREACHES OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT
If any of this happens to you at ConTingency or you have witnessed inappropriate behaviour, we want to know so we can improve your experience.
You can tell us
• Via discord or facebook - there will be someone designated as admin throughout the event
• By phone or text to 07934 349148 (Carol) or 07710 680762 (Chris)
• By email to contingency.uk@gmail.com
THINGS WE CAN DO TO HELP
If something has happened that makes you uncomfortable we can talk to anyone else involved. We are happy to do so, even if you haven't communicated this to them, since that is not always easy to do. We will listen to what you think would help. You don't have to know what would help.
Examples of things we can do
• communicate to others that there is a problem.
• ask for an apology
• ask them to leave you alone
• require them to not be where you are
• exclude them from the rest of ConTingency
• ban them from future events
These will be implemented at the discretion of the ConTingency team.
Breaches of this Code of Conduct or reasonable requests will, in most cases, be met with a warning from a member of the organizing team. The organizers decision is final.
If warnings are ignored, or in the event of serious misconduct, we reserve the right to ask anyone to leave all or part of ConTingency. We reserve the right to pass on details of complaints to other convention organizers.
OTHER INCIDENTS
There will be an admin person available throughout the event, if you need assistance with anything please speak to us and we will be happy to help where we can - however please note we do not have control over services like Roll20 or Discord so may not always be able to solve every issue.