Player Moderator

Player moderators (colloquially pmods or just mods) are normal RuneScape players chosen specifically by Jagex staff to help during their normal play by monitoring the game for rulebreakers and taking appropriate action when rulebreakers are found, keeping the game enjoyable. They were added to the game on 14 June 2004.

Abilities


A player moderator has two ways of dealing with rulebreakers. The first is the Report Abuse option. There is a separate Jagex staff section that checks abuse reports by Player moderators, making sure that appropriate action is taken against rulebreakers much faster. It is also done in a separate way. They can use a 48-hour temporary mute with their report. A muted player may still use the Quick Chat feature, but other players will not see his or her normal text. If a player is being particularly defiant towards the rules, it may be that a mute is required so that he can no longer talk, disrupting his attempts to scam, advertise websites, or bypass the filter. Once again, mutes are quickly checked by Jagex Staff to ensure that they are correct, and incorrect mutes will be promptly lifted. If a moderator constantly or regularly mutes without proper reason, his or her moderator status may be removed.

Player moderators have a silver crown - next to their name when they speak in game, and their text can be seen even by players with public chat off. You also see their words in the private chat if you have turned private chat off, although they cannot see when you are online with private chat off. On the forums there is no visible differentiation between player moderators and regular players, and any claims of a player that he is a player moderator should be reported using the report abuse menus.

How player moderators are chosen
Player moderators are chosen specifically by Jagex staff based on their behaviour and maturity in RuneScape and on the forums, and the accuracy, quality and quantity of abuse reports. They must also have a secure account. Players with black marks may become player moderators if Jagex feels that they have learned their lesson. Jagex will contact the player via the Message Centre system to inform him or her that he/she has been selected to become a player moderator, and allow the player to accept or decline the position.

Misconceptions
There are many misconceptions regarding player moderators and their abilities. The truth is:

Other abilities
Player moderators have access to an extra forum on which they can discuss moderator issues with others. They also have access to the player moderator centre, linked to from the main page. However, Jagex states that content discussed within both of these areas is strictly confidential, and any player moderator who reveals content within these areas will lose their moderator privileges. This would include powers and abilities player mods might have that Jagex has not told the public, or lists of player moderators. Player moderators on RuneScape are also player moderators on FunOrb.

"Bot busting"
Before the 2007 updates made macroing unprofitable, macro users were very common. There would be a "bot busting" session once or twice a day, in which Jagex moderators check on places where bots are common. Player moderators usually attend, although normal players are invited to help spot bot users. Since the updates made real-world trading much more difficult, "bot busting" sessions have been discontinued.