Here at the rock, we have two rules...

• First rule: obey all rules.
  
  
• Second rule: Don't post or link to leaked content. That means:
  
  - Do NOT post scans of a magazine in this forum.
  
  - Do NOT screengrab or copy and paste content from the digital version of any magazine and post it on this forum.
  
  - Do NOT post links to copyrighted materials that are still available for sale from their owners - even if you happen to live somewhere that you cannot purchase said materials.
  
  This includes concept art, screenshots, text, etc. Anything exclusive to subscribers.
  
  It's okay to discuss the information from such sources, but please wait until the publisher releases a free version of their story before reposting things here.

Come here often? General guidelines to improve your forum livelihood

• Try to remember tags like *SP* (for spoilers) and *IMG* (for images that might slow down someone's pageload). If you want to post something off-topic, use the Off-Topic Category when you create your thread. A post title with spoilers is NOT okay.
  
  
• Got some news or found a new trick? If you're not glued to DBO day and night, why not use the search functions around the site to make sure it's not already old news?
  
  
• Don't feed trolls. They'll always be around, but let's try and keep them under the bridges where they belong.
  
  
• And on that note, be nice, damn it! This is the internet - there are no longer a thousand visual or audio cues helping with your communications like in real life, so try to be clear with your tone and attitude, and realize you probably come off much more aggressive than you realize. Remember why you're here: you probably love something about Bungie or Destiny, so we've all got something in common!
  
  
• If you're new to Bungie.Org or would like to see some more general forum guidelines, read Red Loser's Anti-Spamming Guide. This is Bungie.Org 101 right here!

Using the DBO Forum

• At the top-right of the index page, besides expanding and folding threads, you can switch the whole forum to a table view or a thread view, depending on your preferences.
  
  
• Hitting the "refresh" button will make all links 'unvisited' again, so use it wisely!
  
  
• Your post might be potentially marked as spam if you're using a lot of links or images. If so, an admin will be by shortly to approve it. Unless of course you ARE a spambot.
  
  
• Little red 'X's () next to a post means there's no text in the body of the message.
  
  
• You can create threads with a specific category now, or filter your viewing by said categories.
  
  There are six categories to choose from when creating a thread:
  
  -------
  Destiny - Any news or discussion directly related to Bungie or Destiny.
  - Anything from the Bungie Blog.
  - Press articles about Bungie or Destiny.
  - Story and gameplay discussion.
  - Official screenshots and videos.
  
  Fan Creations - If the focus of the thread is something you (or another community member) created, then use this category for Show and Tell.
  - Fan art/screenshots.
  - Theater clips, machinima, montages.
  - Community podcasts and analysis videos.
  - Fan fiction.
  
  DBO - Conversations about our site and the people that frequent it. This is where newcomers should introduce themselves.
  - Site feedback and requests.
  - PAX/LAN/meetup plans and post-mortems.
  - Member introductions.
  
  Recruitment - Plan game nights, share your gamertag, and enlist the help of your DBO brethren.
  - Co-op Night announcements.
  - Everyday fireteam formation.
  - The game does NOT have to be Destiny.
  
  Gaming - Any gaming news or discussion that doesn't belong in one of the above categories.
  - Articles from Kotaku/IGN/etc. unrelated to Bungie or Destiny.
  - Discussion of non-Bungie games, e.g. Halo 5, Mario Kart 64, Madden 2008, Call of Duty 17.
  - Console news.
  
  Off-Topic - Anything and everything that doesn't fit into one of the above categories.
  - Keep it clean!
  
  Fireteam Builder Events
  - Posts specifically about Fireteam Builder Events to discuss dates, time, strategies, philosophy, nicknames, fashion coordination, etc.
  
  Critcism
  - Want to get something off your chest but don't want to get into an argument? Vent your feelings or discuss your criticism about Destiny and Bungie here.
  
  -------
  The idea here is to make it easier for everyone to post off-topic and short-lived threads while keeping things organized and easy to find.
  
  Thread replies do NOT have to follow the initial category - it's okay if the conversation in a Destiny thread veers into Off-Topic territory!
  
  The default Forum Index view is "All Categories"; click on the category name next to each thread to view that specific one, or use the dropdown menu at the top-right of the page (right below the search box).
  
  If you want your default view to only display certain categories (e.g. filter out Off-Topic), just visit your User Settings page and look at the "My category selection" area. Check the boxes for the categories you wish to see, and your default Index view should automatically change to "My Selection". You can always go back to viewing "All Categories" or each individual category by using the dropdown menu near the top-right of the page. Unchecking all of the boxes will revert your default view back to "All Categories".
  

Fan-Fiction

• Forums are a great place to spread the love and get feedback on your fan creations. To keep things neat and in order, we have a focused area for your fan-fiction needs! Please visit the Fan Fiction section, register an account (which is separate from a forum account) and submit your story for approval. Jim Stitzel/TTL Demag0gue is our man in charge. We'll be sure and keep the front page apprised of all your accomplishments!
  
  
• Fan-art, photos of fan-creations, and all other types of mediums besides pure text can still be posted here. Remember your *IMG* tags and appropriate category!

Hints for the Grizzled HBOers

• HTML is no longer your friend - but now you can use the formatting tools to the right to help you fancy up your posts.
  
  
• When linking, be sure to include "http://" or else it will think you're directing it towards somewhere on Destiny.Bungie.Org
  
  
• The method for embedding YouTube videos to posts can be found here (standard) and here (advanced).
  
  
• Imgur "gifv" videos can be embedded with the [gifv] or [gifvfull] tags, as seen in this post. Please mark posts containing these tags with *VID* (or similar) tags in the title, since these videos automatically preload and might eat a lot of bandwidth for viewers.
  
  
• For the nostalgic, Arithmomaniac has created a userstyle to give the forum an HBO-style coat of paint! Check it out here.
  
  
• thebruce also created his own compacted style sheet which can be found here.
  
  
• And Decom made an even more compact version in a hierarchical mode here.

Anything not covered here? Feel free to discuss any questions or comments you may have in the forum or contact us at DBO.

-Thanks to nscuDuncan and TTL Demag0gue for bringing us up to version 2.0! -September 17th, 2013
-Merged with nscuDuncan's "DBO Forum Categories" thread -August 22nd, 2014