The so-called "banter" threads aren't allowed anymore because trash-talking and showing toxic behaviour in general is not something we want to have on the forums. And we certainly do not want such things in the on-topic section where we should strive to create an approachable atmosphere. Even without any toxic behaviour, such threads are counter-productive to the nature of the on-topic areas. We are aware that it is fun to make jokes and talk to your friends but that doesn't mean the forum has to have a chat thread for you to do that. This definitely isn't the place for it. So threads of this nature will be removed.
There are other areas of the forums that accommodates such threads like the aptly named "Off-Topic" areas, and the moderation also has a lax-enforcement policy on clan threads where members are encouraged to interact with each other and represent their clans.
