Somnastra
Good
Greetings, Alterans!
This is one of those instances where I am bringing an issue the server is facing to you all, as asking for your help in solving it.
A few weeks ago, Mairin posted this thread: http://hollowworld.co.uk/threads/rp-and-ooc-conduct-and-staff-involvement.29297/. This thread was prompted largely in part by the bickering that was starting to become more prevalent surrounding the Corrupted, Aellyrdale, the Engem, and Senatoor, and then ultimately, much of the server. There were probably quite a lot of factors that contributed to this, including the extended length of the campaign, during which everyone was feeling the stress in one way or another. Tension was high, and tempers flared. This is one of the reasons why we (Staff) have tried to be as understanding as we can when dealing with these issues. We haven't always succeeded, for which I apologize, but every staff member has tried their hardest to be as fair as they knew how.
Before we really get started, I want to emphasize this particular piece of the King's Law:
We're nearly to the point where we just want to hand out bans to all involved parties for behavior like we've seen in the past few weeks. It's been seriously suggested among Staff. And not discarded out of hand. Let that sink in for a moment.
We're really not trying to exert some kind of power over you with this. We simply want Hollow World to be a community that we can all be proud of. That means that OOC disputes are resolved with minimal staff intervention. That was the point of Mairin's thread. And right now, it feels like every instance of In Character conflict is followed-up by an Out of Character argument that inevitably has to have staff involved. And no one is ever satisfied with the results.
What I need from you all is a candid and civil discussion of possible solutions to this problem that have not already been attempted by staff. We also need to develop clear consequences to perpetuating these sorts of conflicts. I will be satisfied to allow this discussion to go on for a week or more, if necessary, as long as progress is made, and people are being courteous. But we need to come to some sort of decision that staff can use going forward. Or we will have to start using sterner methods.
I'm not asking you guys to like each other. It would be nice, but that's not up to me. I am asking that you help keep this server a fun place for others to RP. To that end, if anyone is having difficulty keeping their tempers in check while having this discussion, I will happily provide them with a 24 hour vacation from the forums via a temporary IP ban. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, but I want to make clear to you guys how serious I am.
Now, shall we get started?
This is one of those instances where I am bringing an issue the server is facing to you all, as asking for your help in solving it.
A few weeks ago, Mairin posted this thread: http://hollowworld.co.uk/threads/rp-and-ooc-conduct-and-staff-involvement.29297/. This thread was prompted largely in part by the bickering that was starting to become more prevalent surrounding the Corrupted, Aellyrdale, the Engem, and Senatoor, and then ultimately, much of the server. There were probably quite a lot of factors that contributed to this, including the extended length of the campaign, during which everyone was feeling the stress in one way or another. Tension was high, and tempers flared. This is one of the reasons why we (Staff) have tried to be as understanding as we can when dealing with these issues. We haven't always succeeded, for which I apologize, but every staff member has tried their hardest to be as fair as they knew how.
Before we really get started, I want to emphasize this particular piece of the King's Law:
This was the one that Mairin emphasized in her post. I want to supplement it with second:King's Law said:21. Citizens are required to protect the harmony of the HollowWorld community and ensure that they contribute positively to it. This means players must behave in a manner befitting an upstanding HollowWorld Citizen and refraining from activities which could be construed as damaging the community by admin staff.
The part of that last one that is important is the first bit. "Players must not incite drama storms." Because that's what the last few weeks have felt like in the overarching, dominant RP on the server. I don't mean that there was IC drama (there was), but rather, there was OOC drama that stemmed from the RP that was happening. And there has never been any party involved that was clearly in the right (or in the wrong, please bear that in mind). It has simply been exhausting trying to sort through all this stuff, and the sort of sentiments that are growing in OOC are ... well, frankly, they're starting to get a bit nasty. And staff has just about run out of options to peacefully resolve this.King's Law said:20. Players must not incite drama storms. If you are reporting a problem or player, please provide proof and don't make it public - make a conversation with any staff member.
We're nearly to the point where we just want to hand out bans to all involved parties for behavior like we've seen in the past few weeks. It's been seriously suggested among Staff. And not discarded out of hand. Let that sink in for a moment.
We're really not trying to exert some kind of power over you with this. We simply want Hollow World to be a community that we can all be proud of. That means that OOC disputes are resolved with minimal staff intervention. That was the point of Mairin's thread. And right now, it feels like every instance of In Character conflict is followed-up by an Out of Character argument that inevitably has to have staff involved. And no one is ever satisfied with the results.
What I need from you all is a candid and civil discussion of possible solutions to this problem that have not already been attempted by staff. We also need to develop clear consequences to perpetuating these sorts of conflicts. I will be satisfied to allow this discussion to go on for a week or more, if necessary, as long as progress is made, and people are being courteous. But we need to come to some sort of decision that staff can use going forward. Or we will have to start using sterner methods.
I'm not asking you guys to like each other. It would be nice, but that's not up to me. I am asking that you help keep this server a fun place for others to RP. To that end, if anyone is having difficulty keeping their tempers in check while having this discussion, I will happily provide them with a 24 hour vacation from the forums via a temporary IP ban. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, but I want to make clear to you guys how serious I am.
Now, shall we get started?