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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 20:33:11
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The WotC forums recently (like in the last year) relaxed their guidelines as regards novel discussion. I.e., you can actually do it now. My novel Downshadow was one of the first novels people actually discussed over there, and I think it was in part due to me posting in the thread that the mods didn't shut it down. I had numerous personal conversations with the mods saying, "No, this is fine--I like this conversation. This is all good!" and I got the sense they were relieved to see discussions come back--wary, but pleased.
There's actually an entire subsection of the WotC boards devoted to novel discussion, of which I am the owner and moderator: http://community.wizards.com/bookclub
They do a non-Fr specific bookclub discussion every couple months, and have gone through Downshadow, City under the Sand (Dark Sun), God Catcher, and now I believe they're doing Temple of the Yellow Skulls.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36996 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 21:01:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr_Miscellany
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
My complaint remains with the fact (SNIP)
Your explanation seems to indicate you're responding to me, so just to be on the safe side: when I was talking about WotC's problems with jerks trolling their novel forums, I wasn't indirectly implying that you were one of those people.
Understood. I was replying to and acknowledging the general novel issues you mentioned, but going a bit further. I did not take it as an implication I was one of those people; novel discussions were banned right before I became active over there.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Mr_Miscellany
Senior Scribe
545 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 22:36:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
And my (deleted) rant was concerning the way in which they handled 'reporting' (Wooly touched on this). Basically, if a person and/or their posts were repeatedly reported, that person would be banned (and their offending posts deleted), AUTOMATICALLY. The matters were NEVER investigated.
Just a few points of fact to consider:
If users could spam the report button repeatedly to get a user banned, it would have been chaos on the WotC forums. WotC didn’t give that power to its users.
As someone who’s spent a lot of time reporting people on those forums for violating the Terms of Use, I can tell you that multi-reporting someone didn’t result in a person’s account being auto-banned off of the forums.
Spamming the report button is like crying wolf. Nothing encourages a moderator to ignore a user faster than the act of reporting a violation where no actual violation took place.
Is it possible this was a feature a WotC moderator could activate— sort of like hitting a switch—in order to ban a user with no warnings left? It’s possible, I suppose. But even so that feature would have had to have been applied selectively and based on certain conditions, making it less then automatic.
As it is, too many people got away with too much crap over and over again for there to have been any kind of global, auto-ban feature in place like Markus’ describes.
The only way to get a moderator’s attention and get them to do something about a problem user on the WotC forums was by having several unique users hit the report button at the same time, and only in response to posts that were clear violations of the Terms of Service.
That’s the distinction I want to make here: if someone was banned, their account temporarily suspended or their posts deleted, it’s because the user violated the Terms of Service agreement and a forum moderator decided action needed to be taken against that user. |
Edited by - Mr_Miscellany on 07 Mar 2011 22:58:25 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 23:17:43
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Just curious... (and obviously you don't need to answer me)
Were YOU ever banned over there?
I was... THREE times.
Not that it mattered... that's what 'spare accounts' are for.
The last time I was banned was actually pretty funny, because I was accusing them of being racists, and was banned for making racist remarks. In the first two instances I may have deserved my banning, but the third time was just ridiculous. I was banned for describing what it said in a 4e book.
Anyhow, I know what I was told, by someone who had more knowledge of the situation then me, but who in retrospect, may have been a wee bit paranoid themselves.
And in case anyone hasn't noticed, I AVOID the novel forums here like the plague. I like it here too much, and am well-aware of my own short-comings in regards to restraint.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 07 Mar 2011 23:18:09 |
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Therise
Master of Realmslore
1272 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 23:36:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr_Miscellany
That’s the distinction I want to make here: if someone was banned, their account temporarily suspended or their posts deleted, it’s because the user violated the Terms of Service agreement and a forum moderator decided action needed to be taken against that user.
Just another point of fact: not all the moderators over there used the same rulebook. Whether or not something violated their ToS often depended on a particular moderator's opinion as to whether or not it was a violation.
Also, the level of action taken often depended on the moderator's personal choice. For example, I had a few posts modified and a couple deleted here and there, but I was never banned. And 99% of the time that one of my posts was modified, I was defending the right of people to post negatively slanted opinions... so the alterations were usually more for language choice or to remove a personal slant.
So, as with all things, some posts were more harshly judged than others and not simply moderated because a violation was "clear" to everyone.
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Female, 40-year DM of a homebrew-evolved 1E Realms, including a few added tidbits of 2E and 3E lore; played originally in AD&D, then in Rolemaster. Be a DM for your kids and grandkids, gaming is excellent for families! |
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BlackAce
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
360 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 23:46:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr_Miscellany
But when you have so many jerks flocking to your forums to post rants about the novels...well I'm not sure what else they could have done.
All your points were true enough but the answer I'd give to your last line is:
Nothing.
People are jerks and nothing is easier than being a jerk from behind the safety of your keyboard.
Thats the whole point to having moderators. They are there to moderate and take action on people who violate the terms of service. People don't have the right to say anything they want on an internet forum but if your answer to an unruly discussion group is to ban discussion, you've missed the point a touch.
My biggest beef with the whole closing of the forum was the cynical lies told to justify it. To this day, I can recall staring open -mouthed at a sticky by Big_Sister where WOTC were trying to imply the board had been closed because the Novel department no longer wanted to pay for the forum!
Anyone even slightly familiar with how bulletin boards are run would have raised an eyebrow at that claim. The truth only came out because people simply started discussing novels in the remaing fora and thats when the draconian blanket ban was introduced.
Wizards themselves bare their own share of responsibility for some extremely poor judgement calls and some bald faced lies. It's all well and good pointing to the trolls and the flamers but its a rare forum indeed that doesn't have a large quota of those. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 00:37:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Arik
Agreed, Wooly and Sage (and Alaundo) practice an informal and lighthanded style, they much prefer friendly resolution over bringing out the hammers and padlocks. Most of the scribes in Candlekeep are socially mature and not too many trolls participate, though some of us (myself included) have been known to express our rather passionate views in a sometimes undiplomatic and heated manner.
We've all fallen prey to our passions at one time or another. I recall a very particular and heated exchange about planar changes between editions, that I was involved in for almost a fortnight here at Candlekeep. 'Twas back in '05, and I think a fair number of scribes were eventually drawn into the "debate" before Alaundo had to step in and bring us all to heed. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 00:41:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Therise
Also, the level of action taken often depended on the moderator's personal choice. For example, I had a few posts modified and a couple deleted here and there, but I was never banned. And 99% of the time that one of my posts was modified, I was defending the right of people to post negatively slanted opinions... so the alterations were usually more for language choice or to remove a personal slant.
Wooly and I tend toward a type of consensus before we take any deliberate action like modifying posts or suspending scribes wholesale. It's never performed on a whim, and we usually consult with Alaundo first, but only after we've attempted to rectify the situation with the offending scribes via private messages/emails.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8066 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 00:59:43
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'Tis still a shame to see fine scribes like Delzoun, Jorkens, and others declare their leave. I'll admit that I was a little alarmed upon reading that some scribes are sufficiently inflamed to methodically delete their past contributions, the loss of their valuable lore diminishes us all.
The example set forth by you and Wooly is commendable, Sage (even though you're both inclined to sometimes hijack scrolls into superhero and BattleTech esoterica, lol). |
[/Ayrik] |
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Therise
Master of Realmslore
1272 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 03:23:36
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Therise
Also, the level of action taken often depended on the moderator's personal choice. For example, I had a few posts modified and a couple deleted here and there, but I was never banned. And 99% of the time that one of my posts was modified, I was defending the right of people to post negatively slanted opinions... so the alterations were usually more for language choice or to remove a personal slant.
Wooly and I tend toward a type of consensus before we take any deliberate action like modifying posts or suspending scribes wholesale. It's never performed on a whim, and we usually consult with Alaundo first, but only after we've attempted to rectify the situation with the offending scribes via private messages/emails.
We were talking about the moderation at Wizards boards, not CK.
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Female, 40-year DM of a homebrew-evolved 1E Realms, including a few added tidbits of 2E and 3E lore; played originally in AD&D, then in Rolemaster. Be a DM for your kids and grandkids, gaming is excellent for families! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
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Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1120 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 05:07:20
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Man...
Delz is going out... and you are talking about Wiz forums... in Delz departure.
I´m sad... the "dwarven gang" receive today a nasty new... but I understand him. :(
Hey dude. My twitter and my facebook is in my sig not without a reason. So, jump in, and we will continue our long delayed talk.
Primo Victoria. |
Dwarf, DM, husband, and proud of this! :P
twitter: @yuripeixoto
Facebook: yuri.peixoto |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 05:44:58
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I'm still around, but mostly now I just lurk because I don't have much to talk about. My sourcebooks and novels will always end at the end of 3/3.5e and so I feel that I don't have much to comment on unless I see a thread that interests me.
And good gods, so many WOTC memories. BTW, before Lord Karsus was forum leader, that was my job but I took so much crap from people, I finally just said forget it. And I had so many arguments with the mods over things, usually when I was defending someone who posted something that people were attacking. One night I spent hours with GothicDan and WOTC Big_Sis on AIM in a dual chat session cause him and I were being constantly reported.
It's also the same reasons why I stepped down as a Keep mod, the private tells I was getting were very very very uncivil and I lost my patience to many times. Knight and I also had some private arguments about how things were moderatored. I do apologize to him now, some of what was said was very heated.
So, yeah, I'll probably never leave Keep but I might disappear for weeks or months but usually I lurk now instead. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 06:23:35
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I mostly lurk now.
After LK left the Wizbro Boards(the change over to the newer format) I started watching over the boards and asking Webster to get threads moved/closed. Gods I caught grief. The nasty PM's I got were pathetic. Post there on occasion now. |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 07:00:06
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"No-one loves the cop."
That's the problem - I was good friends with one mod over at Coolminiornot (as in, we used to talk privately all the time), friends with another, and merely 'cordial' with the third. I Unfortunately had a bit of a 'verbal row' with the one I wasn't on such great terms with, and then my buddy took my side, and the whole thing turned into a mess. When mods fight it gets ugly.
On the Gamewinners forums (where I modded), most of the mods over there were under 18 (seriously!), and they had an entire sub-forum dedicated just to mod-battles (which happened CONSTANTLY - everyone had their 'cliques'). If you want to see a group of forums that are the worst case scenario, hang-out over there. The favoritism was so blatant you could cut it with a knife. Mods would 'un-ban' their 'pets', who would run-around and say whatever they wanted on whatever forums, to the point of using foul language against other mods. I somehow managed to avoid all of that for my one year there.
The WotC forums were FAR from the worst I've been on - I rather enjoyed them until Gleemax and all the pro/anti 4e nonsense.
The forums here - once you get used to things - are probably run the best to my liking (which may not suit everyone's taste as far as how much moderation is needed). I don't mind opinions, even if they greatly differ from my own, but personal attacks should never be tolerated. I think that's how the Sage and Wooly (and the absentee Alaundo) run things, and even when things began to get out of hand in some threads, I think they were able to bring things to a close without exacerbating the situation.
I do not envy their position; I think we all owe them a round of applause for being able to keep these halls open. If you think WotC got bad, think on this: Games Workshop (Warhammer) closed down their forums because of all the negativity. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 07:35:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
If you think WotC got bad, think on this: Games Workshop (Warhammer) closed down their forums because of all the negativity.
I remember that, because the negativity passed on over to the Critical Hit boards [a particular favourite of mine] as well, which were also shut down shortly thereafter.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 08 Mar 2011 07:36:50 |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 12:06:22
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| You know, I think I was actually warned once also many many moons ago on the Wiz forums for a passing mention of a novel. |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 14:40:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Alisttair
You know, I think I was actually warned once also many many moons ago on the Wiz forums for a passing mention of a novel.
Sounds about right.
What I like about Candlekeep is that conversations are allowed to encompass both the game mechanics and the novels and stories from sourcebooks, and that the authors post and interact with the readers.
At Wizards forum awhile back, I was given warnings and reprimands for even bringing up the novels in conversations they were relevant to. A very "we don't want to hear that here. Only talk about the game or get out".
I never bothered going back. |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 15:34:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
quote:
Originally posted by Alisttair
You know, I think I was actually warned once also many many moons ago on the Wiz forums for a passing mention of a novel.
Sounds about right.
What I like about Candlekeep is that conversations are allowed to encompass both the game mechanics and the novels and stories from sourcebooks, and that the authors post and interact with the readers.
At Wizards forum awhile back, I was given warnings and reprimands for even bringing up the novels in conversations they were relevant to. A very "we don't want to hear that here. Only talk about the game or get out".
I never bothered going back.
Yeah novels are ok there now. I lurk there for 4e information but in regards to realms lore, I stay here. Plus, I can't register a new username at work on their forums (the registration page is blocked) so I don't have much choice but to lurk |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Therise
Master of Realmslore
1272 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 16:48:46
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Part of the problem with the Wiz boards was that a small group of people made it their mission to try and moderate the boards themselves, because they believed that the moderators and forum leads "should do x" whenever something they didn't like came up. At first, they wanted to censor people who expressed negative opinions (and their efforts became more organized, targeting forum leads and even mods). Later, they got the idea to separate people who liked 4E from everyone else who didn't, and made efforts on the community business channels at WotC to even create separate forums. They learned to group up and report people all at the same time, just to bring in official moderators to look at "problem" posters. It was ugly.
As one of the people who most ardently defended Lord Karsus, because we both believed in (relatively) open expression -and- that exiling people into different channels would be bad, I can say that it was one of the ugliest ongoing forum fights I've seen. I'm still angry that they drove Lord Karsus away (although part of why he left was partly due to the Gleemax changes, and partly due to disappointment with 4E); the toll of being attacked on a daily basis because he tried to be fair, ugh! Still, the haters effectively won because they (and Gleemax, and 4E) managed to drive away most of the posters. And frankly, for the most part, the people who started the "get rid of all negativity, exile them!" stuff didn't really seem to like or appreciate the Realms anyway. It was sickening.
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Female, 40-year DM of a homebrew-evolved 1E Realms, including a few added tidbits of 2E and 3E lore; played originally in AD&D, then in Rolemaster. Be a DM for your kids and grandkids, gaming is excellent for families! |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 17:33:56
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"they wanted to censor people who expressed negative opinions..." 
I critique the authors I LIKE far more then the ones I don't, because I CARE... I care about the stories, I care about their writing futures, and I care about the Realms (and it's lore).
I do not bother criticizing authors I don't like - I want them to just 'go away', so why would I try to help them? (because that's what I feel I am doing, however nasty it may come-out). I would probably criticize Ed and RAS more then any others, simply because they are my favorites. Does that sound weird to anyone else? I CARE about what THEY write.
If you are going to have thin-skin, then artistic endeavors should not be something you pursue - its that simple. Criticism comes with the territory.
Best-selling authors get more criticism then anyone, simply because more folks are reading - and picking-apart - everything they write. An author who receives no criticism isn't selling any books. They should be happy people are talking about their novels, in whatever fashion it is done.
So the attitude of a publishing company to say "don't belittle what we publish" is both silly, and counter-productive. In fact, TSR learned a lesson about 'bad press' years ago - IT DOESN'T HURT. In fact, it often helps when something becomes 'controversial'.
I was going to say something else, but that would have been borderline name-calling, and I won't stoop to that. This thread has been going well so far (although it has morphed into something else), and I don't want to be responsible for another thread-closing.
I guess I could just say "Suck it up, cupcake". |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 08 Mar 2011 17:35:39 |
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Therise
Master of Realmslore
1272 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 17:53:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
"they wanted to censor people who expressed negative opinions..."
I critique the authors I LIKE far more then the ones I don't, because I CARE... I care about the stories, I care about their writing futures, and I care about the Realms (and it's lore).
Markus, I'm not sure if you understood what I meant so I'll try to clarify.
I was speaking of the small group of posters who took it upon themselves to "moderate" when they felt the real moderators were not "doing enough" to stamp out negative opinions.
They were, for the most part, largely separate from the WotC "directive from above" to close the novel forums and disallow novel discussion. But in some ways, they did cause the directive to happen.
Because this small group was so adamant about "positivity only!" in the forums, their relentless attacks on people became -the- problem. You couldn't express even the tiniest critical thing about a novel before this little group came in and plugged up the forum. It always turned into a fight, was rarely anything other than a fight, and that's why WotC shut down novel discussions.
Later, after the novel discussions were shut down, that same group (with a few change-outs and additions) became the same people who tried to censor any negative opinions about 4E. It was censorship and concentrated attacks on people who actually gave pretty good critiques of the 4E material. But they didn't care, they wanted positivity only, and damn everyone else.
quote:
I do not bother criticizing authors I don't like - I want them to just 'go away', so why would I try to help them? (because that's what I feel I am doing, however nasty it may come-out). I would probably criticize Ed and RAS more then any others, simply because they are my favorites. Does that sound weird to anyone else? I CARE about what THEY write.
I empathize with what you're saying. Often, someone with a quibble wants to say, "hey, this tiny problem here broke my suspension of disbelief" or something similar. The hope is that the author might take that into account.
That said, critiques meant for an author can only go so far. Once something is published, you can't change it. Maybe an author can "tweak" the interpretation in a future work to make things "better" for the critic, but it's pretty much unchangeable once it's published.
Regardless of author input, I do think people should be allowed to express their negative and positive opinions of a given work, regardless of whether or not an author might be listening. That's part of being a book club, in a sense, where you discuss both strengths and shortcomings. One always hopes that a critique is civil, but let's be honest... this is the Internet, and civility is a needle in a haystack.
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Female, 40-year DM of a homebrew-evolved 1E Realms, including a few added tidbits of 2E and 3E lore; played originally in AD&D, then in Rolemaster. Be a DM for your kids and grandkids, gaming is excellent for families! |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36996 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 18:12:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Therise
Part of the problem with the Wiz boards was that a small group of people made it their mission to try and moderate the boards themselves,
We've had a few folks try that here, too. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 08 Mar 2011 18:13:23 |
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Therise
Master of Realmslore
1272 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 18:22:11
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Therise
Part of the problem with the Wiz boards was that a small group of people made it their mission to try and moderate the boards themselves,
We've had a few folks try that here, too.
I know, I've seen it happen. |
Female, 40-year DM of a homebrew-evolved 1E Realms, including a few added tidbits of 2E and 3E lore; played originally in AD&D, then in Rolemaster. Be a DM for your kids and grandkids, gaming is excellent for families! |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 18:27:47
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Methinks there is a correlation.
"I know better then everyone else, so just listen to me and never question my judgement. Just do what I say and the world will be a better place."
I can think of a few RW folks who thought like that... seems Bane has some followers in our world as well. 
quote:
Originally posted by Therise
Markus, I'm not sure if you understood what I meant so I'll try to clarify.
I wasn't disagreeing with you... quite the contrary.
I was remembering those final days on the boards... I was getting 'warnings' nearly everyday.
Here's how my final banning (although my account works now - I mean the one that was the final straw for me) went down -
I said something obnoxious (BIG surprise there), and I got a warning from a mod. No less then three people reported it. About twelve hours later (the next morning for me) I tried to login and found I was temp-banned, for the EXACT SAME POST!!!
The same people all reported me AGAIN, for the SAME POST, and the new mod who had come on duty saw it was my second offense and banned me.
The SECOND OFFENSE... on the SAME GORRAM post!!! 
THAT is precisely what happened to me, and precisely WHY I left there.
Now I'm angry again... NOT good... sorry...
Mod edit: Language, please. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 08 Mar 2011 19:14:41 |
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Therise
Master of Realmslore
1272 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 18:41:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Methinks there is a correlation.
Ayup!
quote:
"I know better then everyone else, so just listen to me and never question my judgement. Just do what I say and the world will be a better place."
I can think of a few RW folks who thought like that... seems Bane has some followers in our world as well.
Yeah, it was pretty distasteful.
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Originally posted by Therise
Markus, I'm not sure if you understood what I meant so I'll try to clarify.
I wasn't disagreeing with you... quite the contrary.
I didn't think you were disagreeing. I had the impression you thought I was speaking of the novels problem but I was more referring to the later period of those who bashed on the 4E-detractors.
But in retrospect, they were both pretty much the same people, as their agenda was the whole "positivity only!" thing, and it made the boards pretty unbearable.
quote:
I was remembering those final days on the boards... I was getting 'warnings' nearly everyday.
Here's how my final banning (although my account works now - I mean the one that was the final straw for me) went down -
I said something obnoxious (BIG surprise there), and I got a warning from a mod. No less then three people reported it. About twelve hours later (the next morning for me) I tried to login and found I was temp-banned, for the EXACT SAME POST!!!
The same people all reported me AGAIN, for the SAME POST, and the new mod who had come on duty saw it was my second offense and banned me.
The SECOND OFFENSE... on the SAME GORRAM post!!!
THAT is precisely what happened to me, and precisely WHY I left there.
Now I'm angry again... NOT good... sorry...
Well, they did organize (in a sense) to target specific people and report them. The only thing I can say is, don't let it make you mad now. It's all in the past. It was unfortunate, both for individuals and the community, but it's a thing of the past.
Mod edit: changing the language here, too. |
Female, 40-year DM of a homebrew-evolved 1E Realms, including a few added tidbits of 2E and 3E lore; played originally in AD&D, then in Rolemaster. Be a DM for your kids and grandkids, gaming is excellent for families! |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 08 Mar 2011 19:15:17 |
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Mr_Miscellany
Senior Scribe
545 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 19:25:40
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Watching speculation, rumor and opinion get molded around the recollections of a handful of people to form some kind of one-sided WotC forum mythology makes for interesting reading.
It’s interesting to see the practical limits of how much any one person can truly know about what goes on in a large forum of anonymous users.
The most fascinating part has been watching Therise transform the “gang” (as Markus puts it) into something that existed even before it existed*.
While it’s true there was a lot of back and forth battles on the WotC novel forums, the idea that not even the tiniest bit of negativity could be written about Realms novels without some sort of harsh, coordinated user response is, with all respect due, not true.
I’m interested in seeing just how far this thing can go.
Reminds me of Robin Hood’s Merry Men or Doonesburry’s Red Rascal, where if something happened out of the ordinary the common person automatically attributes it to the bandits. |
Edited by - Mr_Miscellany on 08 Mar 2011 19:30:48 |
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BlackAce
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
360 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 19:36:08
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"I know better then everyone else, so just listen to me and never question my judgement. Just do what I say and the world will be a better place."
But... but-but that's my motto! *sobs* |
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Thelonius
Senior Scribe
Spain
731 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 19:36:58
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| Myself have just returned to this halls, and got to say so respected and remeber names are gone, yet we still have old privilieged minds such as Wooly, or The Sage. It is quite difficult to keep loyal to some forums as real life always has something waiting for people. But it is just better to enjoy the people who you are with, instead of longing for old gone friends :) |
"If you are to truly understand, then you will need the contrast, not adherence to a single ideal." - Kreia
"I THINK I JUST HAD ANOTHER NEAR-RINCEWIND EXPERIENCE"- Discworld's Death frustrated after Rincewind scapes his grasp... again.
"I am death, come for thee" - Nimbul, from Baldur's Gate I just before being badly spanked
Sapientia sola libertas est |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 19:38:28
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The evidence lies all around us - History repeats itself.
Water-under-the-bridge though. Delzounblood is a great guy, and he will be missed, and it would be a shame that in thread where he explains why he is leaving, the same exact set of circumstances rears its head.
In the Elric series of novels, he travels to a plane that is nothing but grey wastes. It is a completely boring and lifeless land... a realm where pure law has finally won and rules supreme.
Funny, huh? How closely Entropy and Anarchy need each other? Without balance, you wind-up with a lifeless husk.
Kinda like the new WotC FR forums. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 08 Mar 2011 19:39:14 |
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So many gone ..........Delz leaves
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