These are the rules for Dosgames Forum.
Rules and Regulations
First and most important rule:
"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them."
In other words, always, in every circumstance, treat others with respect.
I. Posting Guidelines
This is a quick summary of what is and is not acceptable content for posts. If you have some experience with internet forums, most of this should be fairly intuitive.
1. Advertising
a. You MAY NOT use ANY information provided about members here, such as e-mail address, instant message address, private messages, social networking sites, or personal sites to solicit any product or organization. Doing so will result in immediate and permanent banning, and possibly a complaint to your ISP. We really, really hate spam.
b. If you want to advertise your product, and said product is of legitimate interest to posters here (a new gaming website, a remake of an old game, an e-magazine), start a post about it in General Gaming, along with a statement of intent, and let the moderators deal with it. See this thread for a good example of how this is done.
2. General Posting
a. Do not ask for copies of full games that have yet to be released as freeware (“Abandonware” or “Warez”), unless you are interested in legally buying said games. Likewise, do not post any links to any website hosting Abandonware or Warez downloads.
There are two exceptions to this rule, Home of the Underdogs and Abandonia. These websites have taken pains to remain ESA compliant, do not offer any downloads to material that is still being sold, and are well trusted and highly respected by the staff of this forum..
b. Do not post in any of the help forums (Find Old Games, Get Games to Work, Game Help, Hints, and Tips) unless you need help, or are helping someone. If you want to start a deeper discussion, simply quote the post you want to reply to, copy the quoted block, and start a new thread in General Gaming or General Off-Topic. Inappropriate replies in help threads will be split or deleted.
c. Absolutely no pornography, or links to websites providing pornography. Artistic works containing some nudity may be posted, though they may be deleted by moderators if they deem it to be pornographic.
d. No single word posts.
e. No single emoticon posts.
f. No replying to single word or single emoticon posts. Let the moderators deal with them.
g. No nonsense posts. Every post made must have at least some semantic value.
h. No double, triple, etc. posting. If you forgot to add something to your post, just use the “edit” button at the top of the post. If more than a few minutes have elapsed, it is a good idea to mention which parts of the post have been edited, so people who read it previously will not be confused. (An [EDIT] with extra content following the brackets is sufficient)
i. Emoticons (e.g,
) are great fun, but please refrain from abusing them too much. 
3. Regarding Post Revival
a. First and foremost, look at the top of this post. Right next to the "username" of the poster That is the date stamp. It seems awfully intuitive, but countless posters (usually browsing the forum contextually rather than chronologically, via Google for example) miss it and revive topics that are long, long dead.
b. You may revive a post if you are experiencing the same problem as the original poster. (Usually in Get Games to Work)
c. Do not revive ANY posts in Get Games to Work, Find Old Games, or Game Help, Hints, or Tips after 3 months time unless you’re following rule b, or are in fact the original poster.
d. Any posts in the general forums can be revived, so long as it’s not revived to address a specific user or event from the past.
e. Any threads that are marked as “sticky” or “announcement” are considered active.
II. Rules of Conduct
This is summary of the sort of conduct acceptable here.
Due to the nature of this forum, we have a very diverse population. We have posters from all 6 inhabited continents, ranging from 9 years old to about 60. Needless to say there are some differences of opinion, especially regarding religion, politics, ethics, and lifestyle. We allow and even encourage discussion about almost any topic, but there are some guidelines we ask you to follow:
a. Racism, sexism, homophobia, really any viewpoint that demeans or propagates violence towards a whole group of people is not tolerated, and will get you banned. It is not so much us denying the validity of your opinion; we just think you are an asshole.
b. You must learn to differentiate between an argument and a personal attack. You may argue with or attack a person’s idea to your hearts delight, but crossing the line to attacking them personally (“flaming”) is not tolerated. If you have trouble telling the difference, look at your post, then imagine the target of that post is a good friend who holds that opinion. Now eliminate anything you would not say to your friend, and you should be all right. When in doubt, it is always better to be too respectful.
c. Trash talking is allowed. It is fun and brings some levity to conversation. Just make sure your intentions are clear – via a smiley or a (j/k) – if there’s a possibility your joking might be construed as a serious insult.
d. There is no censorship, you can swear as much (or as little) as you please.
e. Avoid backseat moderation. If there is a problem, report it to a moderator and we will deal with it promptly.
f. If you have any problems with the moderators here, please send them a respectful private message and we will do our best to find a solution. Do not make public posts attacking us; it just makes our jobs harder.
g. While not really regulated, you will have a hard time here if you do not use a proper grammar and a spell checker. Eloquence and formality are optional, but intelligibility and lucidity are pretty damn important.
III. Avatar and Signatures
a- While we allow you the freedom to use avatars of any size, they must not stretch the screen at a resolution of 800x600. Unless you have a good reason, please keep avatars within 150x150 pixels. If you have a reason for having an avatar larger than that, please contact one of the administrators before adding it.
b- Avatars may not contain nudity, sexuality, racist, discriminatory comments; hateful messages, flaming, or extreme violence.
c- Avatars may not contain extreme animation as they may cause seizures in visitors with epilepsy. (i.e, Red and yellow flashing colors.) Regular animation is fine. Please use your best judgment to define extreme animation.
IV. Disciplinary System and Moderators
New members violating these rules will be given a polite warning, and will be informed why their behavior is inappropriate. (It is likely you are reading these rules because a moderator asked you to read them before posting again)
Members who repeatedly break the rules will be given a harsher warning, may be asked to refrain from a certain thread or even a certain sub-forum, or may even be banned. Members who post spam, pornography, Warez, or overtly hateful remarks (see racism, sexism, etc) will be immediately and permanently banned.
Conclusion
We hope these rules will better equip you to be an active and productive member of Dosgames Forum. Ultimately, while these guidelines will make posting easier, the First and Most Important Rule is absolutely essential. Remember that everyone on this forum is another human being like you. A living, breathing person, capable of thinking and feeling just like you. It’s easy to dissociate yourself from reality when other people are a series of characters on a screen. The truth is, what you choose to write is very important; it can profoundly impact another person’s day, for better or worse. So please give everyone here the same kindness and respect you would want for yourself.
-The staff