Moderators

1. What is a Player Moderator?

The first Player Moderators (PMods) were introduced to RuneScape in June 2004, and Jagex has never looked back. Player Moderators are champions of the community.

Like these first Player Moderators, all who are invited are normal players of the game, just like you. They play to complete quests and increase their levels, but because they have shown themselves to be friendly and community minded, they have been invited by Jagex to be ambassadors of our game while they are playing.

Player Moderators usually play an active role in our game and have the ability to protect the community if it’s needed. They are often the players who organise and attend events, or those who really make a difference to your daily gaming experience. With thousands of Player Moderators in the game, you’re sure to spot one on your travels around Gielinor, so don’t be afraid to say 'hello'.

2. How will I recognise a Player Moderator in-game?

Player Moderator characters look no different from any other players when they are in-game, and like other players they can be any level. When a Player Moderator speaks they are very easy to identify, as you will always see a small silver crown next to their name when they type a message. This crown shows in all the chat types including private messages and Quick Chat. Below is an example of the crown you will see in the chat box.

3. What tools do Player Moderators have for their role?

Player Moderators have access to the forums and the Player Moderator Centre. Within the Player Moderator Centre there are links to the Player Moderator forums, information, registration links and up-to-date guidelines. These features ensure that our Player Moderators have the guidance and advice they need, while enabling us to collect valuable feedback.

Player Moderators, just like all players, can report others when they see something that may harm the community. They are given guidance and have the additional ability to add a mute to a report for more serious issues. Jagex have a dedicated team who monitor and review every report received as a matter of priority to ensure that any actions taken by a Player Moderator are correct.

Player Moderators may also attend in-game meetings with Jagex Moderators for advice regarding current issues that concern them. These meetings take place within the Player Moderator Room at prearranged times. The room is designed so that it can only be unlocked by a Jagex Moderator. Once inside the room it is not possible to train levels or to trade.

Player Moderator chat is visible even if your chat settings are set to 'off' or 'friends only'. Should you wish to ignore a Player Moderator's chat you will need to add them to your Ignore list. All RuneScape Player Moderators are also Player Moderators within FunOrb.

4. Do Player Moderators get paid or receive free membership?

Player Moderators are invited by Jagex and accept as volunteers; they are not Jagex employees. Player Moderators do not get free membership and get no in-game advantage within RuneScape.

5. How does someone become a Player Moderator?

Player Moderators are all invited by Jagex. We take many different things into account when looking for prospective Player Moderators; we review personal gaming style and forum posts. We consider the validity of the player’s abuse reports and as well as how helpful and friendly they have been to other players in the game.

The likelihood of a player becoming a Player Moderator is not based on combat level or total levels. It’s very true that you will not see a player fresh from the tutorial given Player Moderator status, but it's also true that you may see some Player Moderators with lower combat levels than you are expecting. We do check accounts fully before offering them Player Moderator status, so if you see the crown, that player is someone great.

We don’t give out details on how close someone is to becoming a moderator, but rest assured that if you are a friendly, community-minded player we’ll be sure to notice.

If you are selected for a Player Moderator invitation, a message will be sent to your Jagex secure message centre inviting you to register with us through the Player Moderator Centre, so be sure to read any messages carefully. Once you have accepted and the confirmation has been received, you will get your silver crown and moderator abilities. Jagex never offers moderator status by external email, in-game or on third-party websites.

6. Does Jagex take recommendations or applications to be a Player Moderator?

We don't usually accept applications or recommendations for Player Moderator status from players, although we're always keeping an eye out for the very best. Rest assured that if you or your friends are truly worthy, we will be sure to notice and may be in contact with an invitation.

7. Does the fact I broke a rule stop me from becoming a Player Moderator?

If you have broken a rule in the past this does not necessarily end your chances of becoming a Player Moderator. We take a note of when the rule was broken, and whether the rule has been followed since. If our checks show that this is the case and that the player has made a positive impact on the game, it could result in the player being considered as a Player Moderator.

8. Do Player Moderators have to help me?

It is up to the individual Player Moderator whether they offer in-game assistance or not. They are under no obligation to do this. They are generally friendly and helpful, so if they have time I’m sure they’ll point you in the right direction.

9. Should I wait to tell a Player Moderator about a possible rulebreaking situation, or use the 'Report Abuse' button?

There is no need to call a Player Moderator to deal with an issue, as we empower all of our players with an Ignore list and the Report Abuse feature. Each player should use their own judgement and the game rules to choose whether to ignore or report in a rulebreaking situation.

10. What should I do if a Player Moderator is abusive to me?

Player Moderators are subject to the same rules as other players. We recommend that you use your Report Abuse function to let us know should you come across a Player Moderator breaking a rule or abusing their status. We’ll be sure to view the report and deal with the situation appropriately.

11. What is a Forum Moderator?

A Forum Moderator is a champion of the forum community.

Jagex’s forums are incredibly busy. Our players make tens of thousands of posts every single day. Although our staff are reading and posting on the forums 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the sheer popularity of the forums means it’s still not possible for us to read absolutely everything that is posted, or to take immediate action on every single situation that requires it.

This is where the Forum Moderators come in. They are players who volunteer their time to help keep the forums fun and safe. Because there are many FMods, they are able to read and respond to a lot more forum posts than our staff members alone. They bring a lot of things (good and bad) to our attention. And if immediate action is necessary and appropriate, they can take that action.

12. How does someone become a Forum Moderator?

Here at Jagex, members of the Community Management team use the forums 24 hours a day. We are constantly on the lookout for players who make a positive contribution to the forum community, so whenever we see a really great post from any player, we start to think about whether that player might make a good moderator.

The great posts could be about anything at all. We have some moderators who love to help players with in-game queries in the Quests Forum, some who are master raconteurs in the Stories Forum, some who love getting into character in the Roleplaying Forum, and so on.

Some things are common to all moderators. First of all, they need to be friendly, polite and respectful towards other people at all times. In particular, potential Forum Moderators need to be able to get into a debate with other players, express their own opinions in a reasonable way, and not react in the wrong way when other people disagree. Some people seem perfectly friendly until they run into a difference of opinion, then become hostile and abusive; these players won’t be picked as moderators. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly of all, a Forum Moderator needs a lot of common sense! Although we provide guidelines for them to follow, it’s not possible to predict every single situation that could arise on the forums. A good moderator is someone who will be able to make a judgement call so that any possible situation will turn out in the best possible way for the community.

13. Can I become a Forum Moderator?

Yes you can. Just use the forums as you normally would! We are constantly on the forums, so if you are making great posts that really show you would make a great moderator, there’s a very high chance that we’ll spot you.

Please don’t make posts asking Jagex to make you a Forum Moderator, or get in touch with existing Forum Moderators and ask them to recommend you. If you really would make a good moderator, we will notice you!

You also don’t need to make a lot of reports on the Forum Help thread to be chosen as a moderator. We’re not looking for a 'police force', or for people who go out of their way to find trouble!

Don’t worry if your first language is not English. We have Forum Moderators from countries all over the world. As long as you can write well enough to be understood, you can become a moderator. It’s far more important that you display all the other good qualities we’re looking for, such as respect, patience and excellent judgement, than that you always use perfect English.

A lot of players think that they need to have a huge post count to become a moderator. This isn’t true. Obviously the player has to have made some posts, as otherwise we wouldn’t have anything to notice them by! But a large post count doesn’t really show us very much by itself. Quality is far more important than quantity.

14. If I have offences on my account, does this mean I can’t become a moderator?

Not necessarily. We understand that people make mistakes, and that they can learn from those mistakes. That’s why many relatively minor offences do degrade over time. So it is possible for a player with previous offences to become a moderator, if their more recent conduct shows that they have improved. But obviously, the best thing is to follow the rules at all times!

15. How can I recognise a Forum Moderator?

Whenever a Forum Moderator makes a forum post, their text will appear on a green background and they will have the words 'Forum Mod' beneath their name. Forum Moderators don’t have any distinguishing features in-game. Without even realising it, you might be playing right beside a Forum Moderator next time you’re in-game!

16. Do Forum Moderators receive any benefits?

Forum Moderators receive no benefits above those of normal players. They don’t receive free membership, or any items or XP in-game.

They do have the ability to communicate somewhat more freely with Jagex staff than other players can. There is a private area of the forums that is only visible to Forum Moderators and Jagex Moderators, and there are regular in-game private meetings (known as ‘surgeries’) where the Forum Moderators can talk to Jagex staff in real time. They also have access to a number of tools that non-moderators don’t have.

17. What tools do Forum Moderators have for their role?

Forum Moderators can lock threads. This would typically be used to cut short an inappropriate or offensive discussion. It can also be done at the request of a thread author – for example, if the thread was asking a question that has now been answered, or if their clan has created a new thread and the old one is no longer needed. FMods can also hide posts. Again, this would typically be necessary if the posts contained material that was inappropriate, offensive, gave away personal details, etc.

They can ‘escalate’ threads to bring them to the attention of staff members. This may be because the thread contains serious rulebreaking, or because it needs an answer that can only be given by an official member of staff, and so on. They can move threads from one forum to another, so if someone has accidentally put their thread in the wrong forum, an FMod can put it in the right one.

They can edit the title of any thread. This may be done at the request of the thread owner (e.g. to correct a typo), or it may be to remove offensive content from the title. Please note that Forum Moderators cannot edit the contents of other players’ posts, just the titles. Only Jagex staff members can edit the contents of any post.

And finally, FMods can mute people from the forums if necessary – for example, if a forum user is making posts that are severely offensive or disruptive. This isn’t a punishment for the muted player – it’s a way of protecting the rest of the community from anything else that they might have gone on to post.

18. Can Forum Moderators give me an in-game mute?

No, Forum Moderators cannot mute your game account. If you are muted on the forums, you are not automatically muted in the game. Jagex staff can, however, choose to extend a forum mute into the game if necessary. This will also add an offence to the player’s Offence History.

Generally this is only necessary in the case of serious offences, such as posts containing racism or very abusive language. We can also issue in-game offences if a player repeatedly makes inappropriate or offensive posts, however. Lots of minor rulebreaking can be just as disruptive as a smaller amount of major rulebreaking.

19. How do the Forum Moderators know what to do? And can they mute anyone they want to?

There is a section of the forums that can only be accessed by Forum Moderators and Jagex staff. In this area, we provide guidelines for the moderators to follow. These help to make sure that they all act consistently.

The moderators also use this area of the forums to discuss situations with Jagex staff, ask questions, or even request that a Jagex staff member get involved if necessary. So if a Forum Moderator ever says to you “I don’t know, but I will ask a JMod for you”, they will probably use the private FMod forum to get our attention.

They can’t just mute anyone they feel like. The guidelines give them guidance about when a mute is necessary, and in fact, a mute is always the last resort, not the first. We encourage the moderators to try and turn every negative situation around by promoting posts that are more positive and constructive.

Also, all mutes are reviewed immediately by the Community Management team. If we believe someone was muted incorrectly, we will remove the mute straight away. We will then give the moderator some individual feedback so that they know what to do the next time they encounter a similar situation.

20. Aren’t the Forum Moderators just killjoys, a ‘forum police force’, who go looking for people to mute?

Not at all. The Forum Moderators are there to help keep the forums fun and safe. When we choose moderators, we are definitely not looking for police!

In fact, what is often overlooked is that the moderators also let us know about the good stuff they find!

21. Can Forum Moderators help me with my ban appeal/password recovery/billing question?

No, these can only be dealt with by Jagex staff. Please check out the 'Contact Us' forum for details about how to contact us with your specific issue.

22. What is a Jagex Moderator?

A Jagex Moderator is a member of staff who works at the Jagex office in one of our various departments. These are most likely to be Customer Support staff in game either to answer your questions and ensure that everyone is enjoying the game, or to investigate serious rule-breaking.

Jagex Moderators will ALWAYS have a gold crown next to their name when they speak in the chat window and they are the ONLY people with 'Mod' before their name, so you can identify them:

If you see ANYONE saying they are a member of Jagex staff in game who does not have the gold crown then you should report them immediately for Jagex staff impersonation by clicking the Report Abuse button. This also applies if a character says that their 'other account' or 'main' is a Jagex Moderator. We do not have 'undercover staff', nor will a gold crown ever be 'in processing'.

If in doubt about a character saying they are a Jagex Moderator, then feel free to report them, as a real Jagex Moderator will be able to deal with the report.

23. How does someone become a Jagex Moderator?

The only way to become a Jagex Moderator is to be employed by Jagex itself. This means that you will need to be successful in an application for one of the available positions. After you have started working you will be given a Jagex Moderator character for work purposes. We do not upgrade game characters to Jagex Moderators and you cannot use these characters to play the game on.

24. How can I recognise a Jagex Moderator?

In-game, you can recognise a Jagex Moderator's chat by the gold crown that appears before their name, as shown below:

25. Can I trade or duel with a Jagex Moderator?

Jagex Moderators CANNOT trade items or money with other players under any circumstances or for any reason, they are also unattackable and therefore cannot be fought or duelled.

26. Do Jagex Moderators have to help me?

When you see a Jagex Moderator in-game, they will endeavour to answer any questions you may have.

Please note that some Jagex Moderators will not be there to answer questions, but will be investigating a specific breach of the Rules of RuneScape or a possible bug. If these Jagex Moderators do not respond then please do not be offended, as they are working at making the game better for everyone.

If you do not get an answer to your question, you should check the Game Guide for the information you were looking for.

27. Do Jagex Moderators give out items or money?

No, we CANNOT give out free items or money in-game for ANY reason. DO NOT ask us for free items or money in game as this just stops us answering more relevant questions from other players.

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