Open Letter From the Mentor Team, Re: Security Council

[Fordorsia]

Updated the list of signatories. If I missed you let me know.

Me

[The Archangel Conglomerate]

I wish to sign.

This is kind of BS

[Bezombia]

So, let's do a recount.
This is more for our newer members who aren't really sure what's going on, but in case you missed the events of yesterday and last night this'll be a good recap for you.


The issue was brought up regarding M&R's ultimate fate to the moderation staff. Another poster commented in that thread, and was promptly banned for it.
The ban was eventually rescinded, but, yes, the moderation team's first reaction was to ban. As it always is.

The mod staff, through a debate lasting several days before being locked, tried to brush the whole thing under the rug (just like they always do), but it obviously didn't work (it never does).

We tried to have a conversation with the moderation team about the issue, but all we got was more "pushing it out of the way" and eventually Reppy locked the thread.

In order to gain support and raise awareness for our cause, we all adopted a common flag (or some variation of it). That flag was then culled by the moderation staff and everyone using it was returned to the default flag.

We complained. There was a massive shitstorm of posters bombarding the moderators with complaints.
They rescinded the deletions. For that, at least, we can thank our lucky stars.


So where are we now? We've taken hit after hit after hit and gained...nothing. Just look at Scolo's signature.
I don't know what the mentors are planning now, but just sitting here and signing this petition isn't working.

[Bezombia]

Updated the list of signatories. If I missed you let me know.

I signed back on page 21.

[Nude East Ireland]

Updated the list of signatories. If I missed you let me know.

Ah, you missed my name.

It's OK though, I'll just write it in Sharpie on my screen.

[The Order of the Teutonic Knights]

I wish to sign. There has to be limits to this whole R/D-thingy.

[Esternial]

Updated the list of signatories. If I missed you let me know.

Ah, you missed my name.

It's OK though, I'll just write it in Sharpie on my screen.

Same here.

I carved in my screen, though.

[United Regions of Verona]

I wish to sign

[Nude East Ireland]

Ah, you missed my name.

It's OK though, I'll just write it in Sharpie on my screen.

Same here.

I carved in my screen, though.

Be careful!

It might scratch the letter. Wouldn't want that.

[Esternial]

Just look at Scolo's signature.

Now that we've been reminded, on black and white, that GP > RP, we can adjust our demands accordingly.

In fact, it's obvious we can't make demands. Most mods won't support us. Instead, we need a compromise.

We are not in a position of power here, guys, and we should realise that. We're in a weak tactical position, which Gameplay is located on a fortified hilltop, but that doesn't mean we should give up.

[Fordorsia]

Can someone post a simple explanation of how this all started and what exactly is happening as of now, just for those who are new and/or don't understand the whole situation.

I totally don't mean me leave me alone I'm smart

[Todd McCloud]

I brought up tags as a solution in the Mentors' forum, to bring in a boundary between R/D and RP. The problem is that it'd be easy to abuse the tags, then, and people'd go raid somewhere and hop back into their safe zone afterwards.

Tags would not be a solution. If there was an 'anti-raiding' tag, it'd be exploited by defenders and essentially kill off the R/D game. Which is probably alright for some of you here, given the current situation, but on the same token many raiders wouldn't care if the RP game was removed or lessened. Both R/D and RP are legal and have been for years now.


The best deterrant is to do one of three things:
1. Move to / create a region with an active founder
2. Password the regions that don't have an active founder
3. Fight any SC proposals gameside.


You guys can do all three of those things. Most of you have WA's and can easily password founderless RP regions over time. RP it if you want. But the most pressing need right now is to keep the current "Liberate Haven" proposal off the floor. Which, at this point, has already received 36 approvals and requires 38 more to reach quorum. This may sound daunting, but trust me - I have a shiny SC badge that says I know a thing or two about gameplay. At this stage, if nothing is done, it probably will reach the floor and be voted on. And if that's the case, you need to watch what the delegates with big voting numbers do, mainly, in the Pacifics and other big regions. Cause if they vote early, and vote against it, it'll significantly tip the lemming vote, too.


And if it passes, you won't be able to put a password back on the region. So your best bet right now is to draft up a few TG's to the delegates that approved it and state your case. Try to change their minds. See, this is the thing: most gameplayers don't understand RPers and vise-versa. The reasons given to support this resolution make sense to a gameplayer who is not informed on the current situation. So, you need to have a few good TG's with your audience in mind. And it isn't hard. Just draft a few that quickly explain the problem from a gameplayer's perspective. Something that talks about how in the past the region was raided, and since you guys are into RPing, you don't want to be raided and have someone make a mess of your pots and pans. If you want, you can post them here. I'll help you if you want that help.

[Bezombia]

Can someone post a simple explanation of how this all started and what exactly is happening as of now, just for those who are new and/or don't understand the whole situation.

I totally don't mean me leave me alone I'm smart

It started out with M&R (the mod) writing a proposal to "liberate" (i.e. forcefully remove the password) a long-time RPing region known as Haven. When someone expressed their anger towards M&R over it, he did nothing, and eventually the proposal got submitted, and right now is only about 38 endorsements away from reaching quorum.

Recent events were summed up in my last post here.

[Victoriala]

My name is forgotten, I see.

Someone should archive this after the cesspool ends lest this dissapears.

[New Babylonia]

Updated the list of signatories. If I missed you let me know.

Me as well.

[Oppressorion]

Why can't the barrier, whatever it is, be made to have huge disadvantages tactically? For example, taking a long but random time to kick in, or even being a permanent thing that's built into the region upon Founding. Moving between protected and unprotected regions could also be made inconvenient with the aforementioned long/random timer.

[Lubyak]

I've updated the list with all of you who have said I missed you. Keep them coming guys. Remember to make my life easier tag your post with "I wish to sign" if you want your name added to the OP.

Can someone post a simple explanation of how this all started and what exactly is happening as of now, just for those who are new and/or don't understand the whole situation.

I totally don't mean me leave me alone I'm smart

First, Mallorea and Riva made a security council resolution to liberate the region of Haven. This would result in the region losing its rp protection, and thus open to raiding. The region is defined--and well known--as an RP region, with no desire to get involved in the R/D game. Mallorea made it clear that he felt the use of the region for RP with a limited number of active players was 'a waste' and that if it were open to raiding it'd be a superior use of the region. This was interpreted by many players--espescially RPers--as an insult to the RP community, and un-modly to boot. The Mentor team then decided to make a united letter describing our issues with the resolution, and individual mentors and players began to call for Mallorea to either be removed or resign his mod-ship, and demand a solution to R/D issues. When reported, the report was dismissed by Sedgistan as 'Only poltics' which made the situation all the worse, as many players took this to be representative of a systematic lack of respect for the RP community.

Communication with the mod team has been taking place and ideas for how to deal with the situation are ongoing, but the mod team has stated that Mallorea will not be removed or asked to resign. A grassroots flag campaign was the subject of a short crackdown, but the bans and warns from that were overturned. However, we have learned that the mod team has policy set from the highest levels of administration to grant R/D and gameplay special privileges as they are 'emergent gameplay' and is thus protected in ways that RP is not.

This has--of course--left many RPers feeling very annoyed with the administration. Discussion is ongoing as to what can be done to allow RP to be separated from the R/D game but as far as I know nothing has been set as 'going to be done' yet.

[Altito Asmoro]

I wish to sign.

I made my post earlier, but with a different tag.

[Phocidaea]

You know, I've never been a great regional RPer, but:
HAVING SEEN both this nation's region and that of one of my alts invaded in the past,
OBSERVING that region-based RPing is important to hella people, and that only a small annoying minority actually get off on being jackwagons via raiding,
NOTING that the proposal in question is a dick move in itself and really scummy precedent should it pass,
The Republic of Phocidaea hereby requests that it be added to the petition.

[The BranRiech]

3rd time's the charm, eh?

I wish to sign.

So wait, people have been getting banned for the flags?

[Phocidaea]

Can someone write a "Condemn Malloria and Riva" SC proposal? That's a way of striking back in-game that the mods here have apparently deemed okay in this case, so it would be great irony. And if the mods take issue with this after being down with Mall, we'll know something is up.

[Delmonte]

Can someone write a "Condemn Malloria and Riva" SC proposal? That's a way of striking back in-game that the mods here have apparently deemed okay in this case, so it would be great irony. And if the mods take issue with this after being down with Mall, we'll know something is up.

No, he'd like that.

[Bezombia]

Can someone write a "Condemn Malloria and Riva" SC proposal? That's a way of striking back in-game that the mods here have apparently deemed okay in this case, so it would be great irony. And if the mods take issue with this after being down with Mall, we'll know something is up.

I was going to but I can't submit a proposal. Nobody else in my region is in the WA.

[Ainin]

Can someone write a "Condemn Malloria and Riva" SC proposal? That's a way of striking back in-game that the mods here have apparently deemed okay in this case, so it would be great irony. And if the mods take issue with this after being down with Mall, we'll know something is up.

That's attention.

He wants attention.

[Oppressorion]

Can someone write a "Condemn Malloria and Riva" SC proposal? That's a way of striking back in-game that the mods here have apparently deemed okay in this case, so it would be great irony. And if the mods take issue with this after being down with Mall, we'll know something is up.

He's been Condemned already here (give that a good read), I think you can only get one.