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Community Concerns

So, Hiya guys.

I'd like to make a little disclaimer before I begin: I really do not want to start any fights here. I don't want to hurt any feelings, or roack any particular persons particular boat. I know for a fact I probably am ill-informed and lacking vital context in some specific scenarios. But this is a forum where I feel I can, in hopefully good confidence, talk to you guys about how I feel. So, here goes.

I'm a little worried about the community. I don't have, for the most part, anytthing concrete about this: No partictular names come to mind immediatley (though I will admit forum trawling is not my forte.) and it may, over all, be nothing. But... Over the time I've been playing SD (Coming up on two years now, on or off) I've been getting... I dunno, negative vibes from the playerbase.

Not overall. I love the game, that's why I keep coming back. It feels more like a potential darkness than a pervasive one that is ever present. A lack of tact or consideration for someone's feelings on a forum post or another. Semi-Agrresive behavior twoards newbies. Heck, even the rule system seems rigid and almost hostile to players, old and new.

Hmm. Im not doing this very well. Let me try and divide my feelings into two categories.

1. The Game/ Rules Itself.

I dont know about a lot of you, but I kind of like talking to my friends in games, and making friends in game, then meeting some of them out of game. So, the no IC/OOC distinction feels a little stifling in the regard. Dont get me wrong, I feel it is of vital importance to the MOO in-and-of-itself, but I feel it locks us away or creates a barrier between those of us who would try to become friends otherwise, for fear of letting something slip. And, to me, the sometimes harsh and arbitrary enforcement of this rule without appeal (please, do not hold me to that, as there are probably exceptions) feel a little off to me.

2. The Community.

This is a little harder to pin down for me. I think, a lot of my uncomfort comes from a stance some in the comunity have of "If you do not like a specific mechanic then this game isnt right for you, so fuck off" kinda attitude. It's a system of rhetoric or argument where you deadlock a discussion by saying, well, that's the way it is, deal with it. Saying things like "This mechanic is ___ because that's how the game works" isnt (in my mind at least,) the best way to explain something to someone. It... I think the word I want here is Sheer. Imagine the SD community and game like a Giant Sheer Cliff, a la the Cliffs of Insanity from Princess Bride. Once a player gets to the top, he's perfectly fine and well to toss down rocks on the other climbers, if he wants, because he and other climbers have already made it to the top. Some might throw rocks, and cause others to fall (or leave/quit/decide not to play the game) and others might not.

Please feel free to refute, disagree, disprove, or otheriwse discuss this with me. These are not statements of fact in any way, simply opinions.

1 - Not sure about the no IC/OOC bit except for not mentioning IC info OOC'ly. And to try to not let your OOC emotions, feelings, etc affect you IC'ly.

There's also other threads mentioning examples.

That's pretty much what I got from that though there may be more. Example, no posting logs or telling things ooc'ly. It's a good idea to read up on the help thinking file too so you don't give key data away necessarily.

You can become friends OOC'ly. That's fine. Just leave certain things out of the conversation. If you two experienced something, were there with each other and you talk, "oh my god I loved that overall situation without full detail" and the other "Yea, that was so fucked up."

But another thing is you can accidentally ruin someone's RP if you give certain details away ooc'ly. That's another reason for the OOC/IC separation. But don't fret about it, just relax and I bet you find you won't spill (tell) things.

2a - As for the community, it is bigger now than before so you get a variety of other people but the assholes don't stay for long overall.

I remember someone being an ass ooc'ly to an IC situation me and another character played out with suspicious behavior and no, not telling what, but the guy was an ass in local ooc. (If you act a certain way IC'ly, then IC'ly, players and GM's will respond a certain way pertaining to the personality of that character. Has nothing to do with the OOC person.)

That being said, overall it's a good community otherwise I would not play. Period. (I know that's my opinion but I'm picky as fuck. Comes with being both a player and GM/DM in other games over the years.)

I think we should work with new players and set a good example for them so they learn early on how to work with others OOC'ly and plot IC'ly. And encourage them to think for themselves and use Examine and Look and Count and other things.

The thing is, not everyone is a teacher or even knows how to teach / help even though they want to and try. But at least they try. I'm also not sure of the time slot you're referring to either but it's possible that that might be part of it and why I'm not necessarily seeing it much compared to you.

2b - And there are game mechanics purposely set up in certain ways for balance and flavor. For the genre too. Its intention isn't to be dicks (maybe in some IC instances it is) but to help keep with the genre like Bladerunner, CP2020 tabletop RPG, new Judge Dredd. (Though this is still a Beta game even though it's been around a long time so things are still being worked on and improved upon.)

And if players have ideas for in game, then they can RP their characters towards creating that idea. Make @notes and work with the GM's towards those in game goals. Make new items for the game for example. (Big smile :D )

Also, we do like ideas posted. It's ideas. Though I admit that there's been a time (or two) I've not used the search button before. ;) But some things are the way they are due to the genre, and we're on a different timeline in game than Real Life. Like CP2020 had expensive clunky phones like the progia-7's and then mini phones but still, reminiscent of the 1980's. "Naked/Nude" fashion. Other things.

(The admins work hard at building new rooms and working on bugs and working on armor/weapons/food/alcohol and drunkeness. Then the GM's on top of that try to puppet where they can depending on what's going on. [They also accept e-mails for npc descriptions and if you want to help in other ways, just e-mail them or leave an @note depending on what it is.])

2c - We as a community should welcome immy's and try to help, but also, if a new person is being a dick ooc'ly, new person or not, that's not right and we shouldn't just ignore that. Call them on it and tell them to stop.

Since you didn't write any specifics, I have a question: Is it OOC community or is it IN GAME assholeness directed at the new player because IC is completely different. The new player's attitude IN GAME will affect how other players and NPC's respond to them and it's not an OOC attack. (Which you know but that's more for new players

who may read this.) There's that, and true, mechanics but I mentioned a little of something above.

Just some thoughts so you're not left hanging there, Doordox. :)

I have no idea what are examples of bi]"sometimes harsh and arbitrary enforcement of [/i][the metagaming] rule without appeal" might be.

I don't think it's arbitrary, I think that when it's spotted, it's enforced.

And what would an appeal look like, anyway? We told someone to stop metagaming but then changed our minds and told them to go back to whatever they had done to get enforcement attention?

I'm just honestly ignorant of what could have been on the player's mind when that line was written.