Complaint Resolution

Confidentiality

All sensitive information that is provided to the COC committee in regards to player behavior will be considered confidential by default. This includes the identity of the complainant, the subject of the complaint, and any details gleaned along the way. It is unavoidable that members of the committee itself will be privy to some information regarding our players, but even then we will redact names and limit exposure to a need to know basis whenever possible.

How is anonymity preserved?

When submitting a complaint via the contact us portal you have three options for anonymity that can be selected from a simple drop-down menu:

1. Do not contact: In this case your submission will have absolutely no information that could identify you. We will receive your complaint but have literally no way of reaching out to you and will not know who you are.
2. Anonymous contact: In this case your identity will be stored indirectly. The people investigating the complaint will not know who you are, but will be able to send you messages through our portal and vice versa. They will not see your email address or name, that will all be hidden. The only way to identify you would be to go digging in the backend database, which is not an ability shared outside of whoever is building the site. Even for them, it is not possible to accidentally stumble on this information as it is not stored in a direct way.
3. Direct contact: In this case your identity will be stored directly. In this case the lead investigator on your complaint will know who you are, but other individuals on the complaint will not. Your name will be redacted from any information stored in our files.

Where can I submit a complaint?

The Contact Us portal on the torontodnd website will allow you to file complaints. You can also send us an email at admin@torontodnd.com or reach out to @torontodnd on Discord, although those options would not mask your identity. DMs will also have the ability to submit a post-session survey in which they may note problematic player behaviours.

What sort of behaviour would justify a complaint?

Generally speaking anything that violates the TorontoDnD Code of Conduct. If you feel there is behaviour not covered in the current version of that document warrants a complaint you may of course submit one.

Who exactly looks into complaints?

Members of the COCC (Code of Conduct Committee). They are members of TorontoDnD who have volunteered to help look after the health of the group in regards to participant behaviour. They have all signed a confidentiality agreement in regards to handling of information. When a complaint is received one member becomes the lead and (usually) two others are assigned to adjudicate with them.

The COCC is limited in size and is selected via an application process that is opened as necessary. Our goal is to limit the size and turnover in the committee in order to minimize the amount of information exposure. When applications are opened the community will be notified.

What happens after a complaint is submitted?

When a complaint is received a member of the COCC is assigned as the lead. They will be responsible for investigating the complaint and communicating with all involved. They will gather information as required and then present it to a sub-group for discussion and adjudication. The group will make a determination of fact and decide on a course of action.

What actions can be taken based on a complaint?

Note that what outcome is applied depends on many factors. It is not necessary to work through each outcome for a complaint. Some cases may start higher in the list and some steps may be skipped depending on severity and context.

• Ban: The member is removed from our group and Discord server. They are no longer allowed to participate in our community in any way. Hosts of upcoming events may be notified of recent bans.
• Suspension: The subject is not allowed to attend or sign up for events while this is in place, nor are they allowed to post on the Discord server. This is usually used when dangerous behaviour is alleged while an investigation occurs.
• Probation: The subject is told that for a given time period (3 months usually) members of the committee will be actively monitoring their behaviour. Further infractions are likely to result in a ban. Members on probation may not act as GM or host at any of our events. Additionally, DMs in upcoming games may be notified that one of their players is on probation.
• Warning: Letting the player know that their behaviour needs to be corrected and that if it is not further steps may be taken. As a general rule of thumb if the subject has already been warned or reminded more than once of the same or generally similar behaviour, escalation to probation may be warranted.
• Reminder: This is just a friendly note letting them know that what they did is not allowed. No mention of further action required, it makes the assumption that the subject was unaware. If the behaviour is repeated a warning may be issued.

How do we categorise the severity of various behaviours?

• Harmful: This is behaviour that must be prevented right away. This calls for an immediate suspension of the subject while an investigation takes place. If it turns out that the report is accurate, banning is generally recommended. Behaviours in this category include:
  • Slurs based on ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation
  • Malicious insults of any kind (ie; body shaming, insulting intelligence etc)
  • Intentional or malicious misgendering other participants
  • Unwanted physical contact of a violent or sexual nature
  • Significantly offensive gestures
• Requires Warning: Behaviour that requires a warning regardless of the participant’s history. If there is already a history of similar offences, probation or suspension may be considered.
  • Overtly disrespectful behaviour
  • A collection of three or more less severe but related offences at one event
  • No showing
  • Unwanted physical touching in general
• General: Behaviour that should be collected and reviewed in context with other incident reports before action is taken. This generally applies to most behaviour that would be considered generally annoying or moderately disrespectful. In aggregate these behaviours are likely to lead to a warning, but as one offs likely will not.
  • Lateness
  • Not paying attention to the game
  • Talking over other players/DM
  • Arguing with the DM
• Reminder: This is for things that are considered relatively harmless, non-repeating and likely just honest mistakes:
  • Playing unapproved sources
  • Forgetting to pay their tab