WFS Grievance Policy

Purpose of This Policy

Wandering Folk Society (WFS) is committed to maintaining a community that is safe, inclusive, and accountable. This grievance policy exists so that harmful, disruptive, or boundary-violating behaviors can be addressed appropriately and with care. We encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses conduct that undermines our values to submit a grievance so that we can ensure patterns of behavior are acknowledged and to maintain a culture of trust and mutual respect. We are not necessarily looking to punish folks but rather create an environment of de-escalation, understanding, care, and ultimately trust.

We believe grievances are a tool for collective safety, documentation, and accountability. Filing a grievance helps us notice patterns, intervene before harm escalates, and uphold our standards of conduct across events.

What Is a Grievance?

A grievance is a formal report about conduct that violates WFS’s codes of conduct or creates an unsafe or uncomfortable environment for others. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Being struck with unsafe force or in a clearly unsafe manner during combat at a game

  • Use of real-world slurs or dehumanizing language

  • Disregard for expressed boundaries, such as continuing unwanted roleplay after being asked to stop

  • Public insults or harassment, whether in person or in any digital community space

  • Intimidating, threatening, or coercive behavior

  • Repeated smaller behaviors that together create a hostile atmosphere

Anyone can submit a grievance for anything that has happened in any of Reckoning LARPs I through IV. We do want to track behaviors of individuals who might be problematic. However, we will give consideration to the timeline and whether the offending event occurred if it was before or after certain codes of conduct were communicated (unless it rises to the level of a Major Safety Concern, see below).

What Is Not a Grievance?

  • Disagreements with or critiques of leadership or rules are usually not grievances. Critiques about the Reckoning LARP game (style, lore, plot, etc.) should be directed to our 2025 Post-Game Survey to allow our gamerunners to address it for a future game. Critiques about the organization should be emailed to the President at president@wanderingfolksociety.org, where she can review and address it or otherwise bring it to the Board. Critiques rise to a grievance when they have been submitted as feedback and not followed up on to the detriment of yourself or another person.

    • A complaint about a person in leadership’s behavior toward you or someone you know is a Grievance.

  • Personality clashes that do not rise to the level of boundary-crossing or harm: Not everyone will be compatible, and discomfort alone is not the same as a grievance.

    • We encourage folks to try and address their personality clashes with the other person, when possible and safe to do so, in order to give that person the opportunity to address the issue, clarify the misunderstanding, or otherwise give them the chance to respect your boundary (such as, “Please do not DM me anymore.”)

    • However, if you are not comfortable doing this or are otherwise not sure if your complaint is a personality clash or something more, then submit the grievance and we will address it with you.

  • In-character (IC) behavior that is within the rules and tone of play: If something IC feels unsafe, it can still be addressed via the grievance process, but IC content alone does not normally rise to the level of a grievance.

    • We encourage IC behavior to be roleplayed or otherwise communicated via out-of-game hand signals when at the game, and for those folks who are not respecting it to be reported while at the game.

    • However, if something IC happened that you believe rises to the level of a grievance, then please submit.

When in doubt, it is a grievance.

How to File a Grievance

Use the form found here.

Grievance Tiers and Response

We recognize that not all issues are equal in impact. We classify grievances into two tiers:

Documented Concerns: These are confirmed breaches of community expectations that do not on their own require immediate suspension or disinvitation. Examples might include boundary disrespect that stopped when corrected, excessive roughness in combat, or hostile tone in group chat. These:

  • Are documented and tracked

  • Requires some type of communication with the person named

  • Must result in an action (e.g., apology, behavior agreement, restorative conversation)

  • Accumulate: Upon reaching 5 documented concerns, a Member will face a formal review for suspension or disinvitation, with the option to appeal or reapply for re-entry after a set period

Major Safety Concerns: These are behaviors that pose immediate or serious risk to others’ physical or emotional safety, or involve repeated, unrepentant violations. These:

  • Are escalated to a Safety Team or The Board for review

  • May result in immediate suspension or disinvitation

  • Will involve notice to the accused and the opportunity to respond

  • May be appealed following our Appeals Procedure

Final Notes

All grievances will be treated seriously and confidentially to the extent possible. WFS leadership will communicate outcomes to the reporting party whenever appropriate, while respecting privacy obligations.

This policy is subject to review and improvement as our community grows and evolves. If you have feedback, we welcome it through email via thefolks@wanderingfolksociety.org.