Debate Society

A debating society: weekly motions, three moderated stage chambers, topic forums, a verdict record and a judges' room.

7 categories
33 channels
11 roles
Medium

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Server structure

Channels

FOYER

welcome
Vetox greets you here. Read #code-of-conduct and #how-debates-work, then watch a debate before you apply.
code-of-conduct
Attack the argument, never the person. Yield when the chair says so. Cite what you claim.
announcements
Debate schedule, season results and society news.
how-debates-work
Format, timings, who speaks when, and how a verdict is reached.
become-a-debater
Press the button to apply. Answer with a position and the best argument against it.

MOTIONS

motion-proposals60s slowmode
Propose a motion as one sentence beginning 'This house'. Staff shortlist weekly.
motion-votes
The weekly shortlist as a poll. Vote once; the winner goes to #this-weeks-motion.
this-weeks-motion
The motion, the chamber, the time and the sides. Motion Ping is mentioned when it is posted.
resolutions
The verdict and the reasoning for every debate, written by the judges. The society's record.

TOPIC FORUMS

politics-and-policy
One thread per question. Steelman the other side before you attack it.
ethics-and-philosophy
Thought experiments, moral questions and the arguments underneath them.
science-and-technology
Should we, can we, and who decides. Sources expected.
culture-and-media
Art, film, sport, language and what they say about us.
history-forum
Counterfactuals, causes and the arguments historians still have.
open-floor
Informal sparring on anything. No scoring, no judges, no grudges.

CHAMBERS

Main Chamber
Second Chamber
Novice Chamber
Proposition Prep
Opposition Prep
live-debate-chat5s slowmode
Audience commentary during a debate. Slowmode keeps it readable; no heckling the speakers.
AFK

SCORING

scorecards
Per-debate scores from each judge: argument, rebuttal, delivery. Judges post; everyone reads.
leaderboard
The season standings, updated after every scored debate by the Head Judge.
feedback-for-debaters
Judges and audience give notes to speakers here. Specific, kind, and about the argument.

LOUNGE

lounge
Off-duty conversation. No motions, no scoring.
quote-board
The best lines from the chambers, with who said them and which debate.
reading-list
Books, essays and talks on rhetoric, logic and the subjects we debate.

JUDGES AND MODS

judges-room
Judges, Head Judge and Moderators. Scheduling, chairing and who judges what.
deliberationHidden from @everyone
Judges only. Decide the verdict here, then one judge posts it in #resolutions.
mod-chatHidden from @everyone
Moderators, Head Judge and Admins. Conduct issues and stage management.
vetox-logsHidden from @everyone
Vetox writes joins, leaves, deletions and moderation actions here.
Judges Voice

Roles

OwnerAdministrator
AdminAdministrator
ModeratorModerator
Head JudgeModerator
Judge
Champion
Debater
Member
Motion Ping
Muted

Overview

A society built around formal argument rather than general chat. The Foyer has #welcome, #code-of-conduct, an announcement channel, #how-debates-work and #become-a-debater, where the Applications panel turns a spectator into a Debater. Motions is the engine: members propose in #motion-proposals, staff put the shortlist to a vote in #motion-votes, the winner is pinned in #this-weeks-motion, and after each debate the verdict and the reasoning go into the judge-only #resolutions. The debates happen in three stage channels - Main Chamber, Second Chamber and Novice Chamber - where the category denies Request to Speak to everyone and grants it back to Debaters and Judges, so the audience listens and the floor stays controlled. Each side gets a four-seat prep room and the audience comments in a slowmoded #live-debate-chat. Topic Forums keep the between-debate arguments organised: #politics-and-policy, #ethics-and-philosophy, #science-and-technology, #culture-and-media and #history-forum, each with tags, plus #open-floor for informal sparring. Scoring holds the judge-written #scorecards and #leaderboard and #feedback-for-debaters. The Lounge has #lounge, #quote-board and #reading-list. Judges and Mods is hidden: #judges-room, a #deliberation channel that even Moderators cannot see, #mod-chat, #vetox-logs and a six-seat Judges Voice. Champion is the prize for winning a season.

When to use it

Your members love to argue but every argument happens in one channel with no beginning, no end and no winner. This layout gives each week a motion, each debate a stage where only the speakers can take the floor, each verdict a permanent record in #resolutions, and the judges a private room to deliberate in before they post it.

What makes it different

Three stage chambers deny Request to Speak to the audience and grant it to Debaters and Judges.
#resolutions is judge-only, so every verdict and its reasoning is a permanent record.
#deliberation is hidden even from Moderators, so judges decide without an audience.
Motions flow from #motion-proposals through #motion-votes to #this-weeks-motion, one per week.
Five topic forums with tags keep the between-debate arguments findable.

Recommended Vetox setup

Applications
Put the Applications panel in #become-a-debater with two questions: a position and its strongest counter-argument. Judges approve into the Debater role.
Reminders
Schedule a Reminder in #this-weeks-motion the evening before each debate, mentioning Motion Ping with the chamber and the time.
Embed Messages
Use Embed Messages for #how-debates-work and #scorecards so the format, the timings and the scoring rubric are laid out cleanly and pinned.
Leveling
Give extra Leveling XP in the topic forums and none in #lounge, so rank reflects arguments made rather than time spent chatting.

Questions

How does a member become a Debater?

Through #become-a-debater, which holds an Applications panel. The form asks for a position on any subject and the strongest argument against it. A Judge reads the answer and grants the Debater role, which is what allows a member to request the floor in the chambers.

Why three chambers?

Main Chamber is the weekly headline debate. Second Chamber runs a parallel debate when the society is large enough to need one, and Novice Chamber is for first-time Debaters, judged more gently and never scored on the leaderboard. Two spare stages cost nothing when empty.

What goes in #resolutions?

One message per debate: the motion, the sides, the verdict and two or three sentences of reasoning from the judges. It is the society's record. Only Judges can post there, so it never becomes a discussion; disagreement belongs in #feedback-for-debaters.

Can I run this without judges?

Yes, by letting the audience vote in #live-debate-chat or with a poll after each debate. Keep the Judge role for whoever tallies the vote and writes #resolutions, so the record still exists.

Common mistakes

Leaving Request to Speak open in the chambers, so every debate becomes a free-for-all the moment it gets heated.
Skipping #resolutions and posting verdicts in #lounge, where they are argued about for a week and then lost.
Making Judges from the loudest debaters instead of the fairest ones, which is how the leaderboard loses its meaning.

Do you have any doubts?

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