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dc_nation_ooc2012-04-14 10:40 pm
one_dc_nation) wrote in dc_nation_ooc2012-04-14 10:40 pm
Entry tags:
Nation FAQ Part 1 (Vision, Philosophy, Rules, Conflicts)
Vision Statement
I thought I was a guy writing and editing fiction. I realized that, no...We're more then that. We're the custodians of folklore. - Denny O'Neil
Welcome to the DC Nation. We’re attempting to be the builders and custodians of a beloved folklore from an iconic comic book world. We, as a whole, love the characters that make up Detective Comics, better known as DC. From the spandex and shields to the trench coats and transients, we have come to love this universe that was first born from a comics character carrying a car so many years ago.
We do not mind change - far from it. We appreciate change that comes with good writing and exploration of character. In recent years, unwarranted deaths, de-powerings, and almost anything labeled “the universe will never be the same AGAIN!” in the official DC Universe have combined with other (often financial) choices that has many of left us with a sense of loss. These were the characters we have grown up with. This was our folklore and fairy tales and modern legends, passed down from older fan to newer fan, and what was happening in our comics didn’t seem to hold that high standard.
So we, as fans and as lovers of these characters and what they stood for, have since taken matters into our own hands and branched into our own. We claim no ownership of these characters; nor do we believe we’re even in direct competition with DC. They are, after all, not using the same characters we are anymore. We simply are here to write and perhaps offer an alternative. If you wish to make this your alternative as either a reader, a writer, or a fan, then - we welcome you into our family.
Format
What format do you use?
We work in 3rd person limited point of view narrative in (mostly) the present tense. It's not “I am walking to the store.” it's “Tim walks to the store.” Past tense also works. You can tell what your character is thinking. You can have them guess at what the other guy will do or say, but it doesn't compel them to do or say those things.
What is “god-modding?”
God modding is where you, as a player, make decisions about what another character will do or how well they will do it without getting the other player's feedback on the matter. For example, if Sue Dibny noted in her post that she saw Bruce Wayne twitch at the sight of someone without getting the Batman player's permission to see such an action happen, that is god-modding. It is considered rude and can derail stories. One place where god-modding is acceptable, however is when a hero is plowing through a bunch of NPC thugs. In which case, describe the fight as realistically as possible, but don't worry too much about getting permission from whoever is writing the filler character thugs.
A cousin to god-modding is assuming your character knows something that they probably have no business knowing. Examples might be secret identities, a plot point that needs to stay hidden, information about a brand new character, etc. This can get a little tricky because some characters really have it be their jobs to know vast quantities of information. When in doubt - ASK.
How does a typical scene go?
Someone starts a scene. Whoever wants the first post responds to the scene. From there all parties take turns with responses. We are looking for a clean progression which makes things easier to read and understand, so the comments need to go below the last one in sequential order or on a new thread. If the thread gets to be ridiculously long, please start a new one. Scenes are worked on typically until they are done. There is no such thing as “too old” of a scene to work on. If you do take your time to finish something really neat, please post a link to the finished scene on OOC with a short description so people can go read it.
“Administrators” versus “Moderators.”
Most games have “moderators” who take the leadership positions and make the game run smoothly. We have a group of 5 leaders called “administrators” or “admin.” The main difference is a philosophical one. Moderators monitor and adjust activity. What an administrator does is paperwork and other minor things to make the place as a whole run smoothly. For the most part, we expect you to self-start, solve your own issues and continue doing your own thing at your own pace free from interference. If you need help, we expect that you will take the initiative and contact us.
Rules
We're telling this story together, or not at all.
Every single thing on this FAQ comes back to this one point. We have a "theater troupe" of players here that have RPed with each other in some cases for years, and as such we have been able to constructively deal with any issues that have arisen in the past. For this to continue to work we need to be able to trust and work together for the good of the story. For the story to work, the players need to be comfortable with their roles, themselves, each other and what they are doing. If something is “off,” speak up. Yes, even if it’s not in your area of the game.
What we expect canon and history-wise.
An encyclopedic knowledge of the DC universe's canon is not a requirement for this game and in some cases might not even be desirable. There are big canon issues and little canon issues. Superman came from Krypton. Batman's parents died when he was very young at the hands of thug. Wonder Woman is an Amazon from the island of Themyscira. Those are all good examples of big canon issues that don't change. Smaller issues that are subject to change would include things like who a character is dating or where they are living at a particular time - as long as we have internal story logic and the players around you agree, we'll be happy.
However, you will be expected to learn or know canon pertaining to your character, including prior canon that happened within this game eventually. For example: You should know from DC that Nightwing grew up in the circus, lost his parents, was Batman's apprentice and founded and ran the Titans. You don't have to know everything before becoming a part of us, but once you are in the game you should learn he's married with a child, died once and came back, and considers and addresses Donna Troy as his sister.
Now if you want him single, without a kid, and to have a less sibling relationship with his fellow Titan and everyone around you agrees, it can probably be done, just not in the "::poof:: never happened" immediate sort of way. We tend to avoid “Crisis” moments; it will need to be something you work towards with other players.
Play Nice with Others - a Primer.
What "telling this story together" means here is that everyone, even people not directly involved with a particular plot, have a voice in what others are doing because we're all involved with the overall story. For example: Someone not playing a Green Lantern or Gothamite can comment on GL and Gotham things because Gotham and the Green Lantern Corp are part of the overall story we're working on. Granted, the people playing characters are going to have more of a say in things and dictating what another player can do (not be there, be de-powered, go crazy, must chose the blue pill when the player of the character is saying he'd take the red, and so on) without their permission is just plain wrong. After a certain point the needs of the community to make sure things run smoothly outranks all objections. Name-calling, pointless sarcasm, withholding communication, being disingenuous, picking fights, going after someone who asked for breathing space, or using “breathing space” as an excuse to never actually go back and fix the problem, and so on is not "togetherness" nor a method a player should be using to get their way.
You don't have to run every scene past the admins before launching it. You do have to run it by the players of any affected characters. If Nightwing wants to visit the Flash, go for it -- just make sure that the Flash isn't already otherwise occupied. This goes for player-player interactions, too -- respect people's time, don't be a jerk about things, and if you have any problems with another player that can't be solved one-on-one quietly, please talk to an admin. Plots are a bit bigger, but even then, just let the admin now what you have planned in case there is a problem or something goes wrong.
Character violence needs to happen for many of our stories because we're working in a comic book word. That said, there should be no maiming, killing, or leveling someone's house without the other player's permission. Fight scenes generally work best when both sides of a fight map out what's going to happen in advance, kinda like pro wrestling. Please remember, though, that unless you're Superman going up against a standard street thug, most comic book fights are give and take - saying that a character never hit you (unless you're the Flash or a top-ranked martial artist like Batman or Lady Shiva) probably isn't very realistic. If a character never gets damaged mentally, physically or emotionally then the player is likely missing the point of comic book RP. Again, if there is a problem, talk it out between players and if that does not work, get an admin.
"In game" posts should be posted in the dc_nation community and other guidelines.
If you have an in-character post that is rating PG-13 or lower that you want to make sure is seen by other players, post it indc_nation.
If you are speaking as yourself about the game or want to post a meme, then use OOC.
If you want to make a news announcement, use your private journal or OOC. If you are advertising more than just personal news, like say another game, then ask the admin first.
Please keep the “leaving the game” notices tasteful and names out of it or they are subject to deletion.
Tag your posts!!!!!
Any characters in the post should have a tag on the post
The plot name should be tagged on the post if it is part of a specific plot.
If the scene somehow is very critical to a character who might not be there, tag it. Example would be tagging “Lex Luthor” on a scene where Superboy discovers he’s related to the criminal mastermind.
If the majority of a team is in the scene, tag with both the characters and the team tag.
The PG-13 rating is for pragmatism.
Many of our players have "trigger issues" - before starting a post/plot that could involve a trigger issue (child abuse, rape, etc.), please announce your intentions before beginning so that it can be addressed. Also, while most of us here are quite dedicated to freedom of speech and information we also live in a world with employers, children, parents, really bad filter programs, and so on who might not be as understanding.
Bottom line, if you wouldn't show it to a savvy 11 year old or a 90 year old grandmother then there are two options:
- Lj-Cuts with a warning about the content within. This is best for scenes that might conceivably go over the line or be someone's trigger.
- If it's just plain NC-17 or X-rated, move it to private journals, please. It's not that we don't love you and want to read it. Those post just don't belong on the comm.
“Pretend-y fun time games” and the Nation Philosophy
There is a somewhat famous essay in LJ RP circles regarding what one player regards as the proper perspective when it comes to RP and the “drama” it can potentially create. It's a nice thought and the sense of perspective is welcome. We are playing make-believe in a not-very-realistic world with things like magical robot ninjas. At the same time, the emotions are somehow very, very real even if it’s all just pretend. Don’t ask us how it works. It just does. Actors are reported to have the same situation, as are some writers. If we were not attached to any of this stuff a bit more than the average fan, we probably wouldn’t be writing it. So, yes, this is pretend and people shouldn’t take it all that seriously or go into hate-filled rage over what one character did to another. What you should take seriously is the creative process and other people’s self-expression - even when this self-expression comes out as Plastic Man fighting a bunch of pirate gorillas. In addition, remember to respect the work other people put into this game. It may be “pretendy fun time,” but real effort is put into it, and respecting the people behind that work is important.
Minimum and Maximum Posting Guidelines.
We have a strict “Life Before Game” policy. This does make the pace here slower than other LJ RPs out there, but to be able to retain the talent we feel we have here makes it a good trade off. That said, we have some idea about how often we’d like to see certain characters participate in plots and scenes.
Primary characters should be in a scene at least once a month (if not more).
Secondary characters should be in a scene at least once every two months (if not more).
“Plot” characters, like support cast and villains, do not need to be in scenes regularly, but you should be ready to involve the character in some form of a plot at least once a year.
If you have difficulty meeting these guidelines, the admin is here to assist you to make your posts, not punish you for failing to meet requirements. However, if you routinely fail to meet the requirement, we may need to discuss alternative options with you -- which can potentially include removing the character from your roster.
If you agree to participate in a plot, let folks know if you have to be offline for an extended period, and talk about what they can do if you suddenly disappear -- death in the family, computer goes boom, whatever. Generally people say, "Okay, you can NPC my character, and they're likely to do this and such in a given situation," or they let a trusted friend play understudy. Whatever works for everyone. The Admin do reserve the right, however, to temp a character for action scenes if a plot needs to move forward - including OCs - though we’d prefer to just have you around.
Note that there are no maximum posting limits, so you may post with your character as often as you like, even if they are a secondary or a plot character. Try not to have your character in 2 places at once though.
I need to be away from the community for awhile.
No problem. Just post a hiatus notice to OOC. If your absence is going to interfere with a plot, let the people involved know and pick someone to temp the character if your part in the plot can’t wait.
If this is going to be an ongoing issue, like for an illness, family problem school issue, etc. - let the admin and your fellow players know. We respect your privacy, but we also get worried when we don’t see you and frustration can erupt from misunderstandings. Beyond the game aspect of things, we want to help. It’s not just a game here, it is a community.
Before quitting, please read.
If it’s a matter of having very little time, it might be better to just go on hiatus or to step into a “idea consultant” role.
If it is a conflict with another player, please contact the admin.
If you are in the middle of a plot or scene, please finish it - especially if it is a plot.
If you are having physical or mental issues, take a hiatus until you are in a better place to manage things and then come back and deal with what’s going on. We’ll be here.
If you can’t find RP, talk to other players in your character’s sphere or talk to an admin.
If you are not getting the character’s voice, try a different character.
If all else fails, we’re sorry to see you go and your contributions to the game will be respected. Let the admin know you are leaving and/or post something tasteful to OOC so we can wish you well and update things accordingly.
We have a dim view of quitting or threatening to quit as an attention-getting or bully tactic. Please know that, if you quit and leave other people hanging either in scenes or in the middle of a personality dispute and then wish to come back there will be a 3 month probationary period where the admin will monitor your behavior.
Conflict - On Quitting, Staying and Other Games
It’s so easy to say “check your baggage at the door,” and leave it at that, but that kind of blanket policy doesn’t always work when strong feelings and human beings are involved. Most people know the routine. If something makes you uncomfortable, talk to the person involved. If you can’t, it doesn’t work out or you feel intimidated, then get the admin. If it is with an admin, get another admin...
But sometimes there are just things that develop that get too big for two (or more) people to remain in the same space and someone decides to leave the game. If you are the remaining players, please don’t gloat or fume, especially not in the chat. We can overlook the occasional comment, but not a constant stream of negativity. Most of all do not try to bully, harass, cajole or otherwise mistreat any remaining friends the absent player may have. Venting is fine and we think is often helpful, but the person on the other end has to be okay with it.
If someone is seething about an absent friend in your direction, your job is the same as any other conflict - try to get them to stop between the pair of you. If it continues get an admin. Don’t make another player’s drama your drama.
If you do leave, we can’t ask anything more of you. We would request you comport yourself with grace. Wrap up your work. Make your leaving post tasteful. If you accidentally get a com e-mail, just let the admin know. (Former players are only fully taken off the wiki by request.) Please no harassing players who stay behind when you leave.
As a final note on the subject, Nation shares players with multiple games and sometimes conflicts in one game have spilled over onto Nation. We hate it when that happens, because the admin have no control over what happens in those other games. Try your best to leave what bothers you in that game with that game. If it is a personality conflict which spans the games, then we may need to meet with the leaders of that other game to work out a solution - but that would be voluntary on their part. We can only deal with what comes into Nation.
People who deliberately set out to goad fights are subject to immediate expulsion. We’re too damn busy for that kind of foolishness.
I thought I was a guy writing and editing fiction. I realized that, no...We're more then that. We're the custodians of folklore. - Denny O'Neil
Welcome to the DC Nation. We’re attempting to be the builders and custodians of a beloved folklore from an iconic comic book world. We, as a whole, love the characters that make up Detective Comics, better known as DC. From the spandex and shields to the trench coats and transients, we have come to love this universe that was first born from a comics character carrying a car so many years ago.
We do not mind change - far from it. We appreciate change that comes with good writing and exploration of character. In recent years, unwarranted deaths, de-powerings, and almost anything labeled “the universe will never be the same AGAIN!” in the official DC Universe have combined with other (often financial) choices that has many of left us with a sense of loss. These were the characters we have grown up with. This was our folklore and fairy tales and modern legends, passed down from older fan to newer fan, and what was happening in our comics didn’t seem to hold that high standard.
So we, as fans and as lovers of these characters and what they stood for, have since taken matters into our own hands and branched into our own. We claim no ownership of these characters; nor do we believe we’re even in direct competition with DC. They are, after all, not using the same characters we are anymore. We simply are here to write and perhaps offer an alternative. If you wish to make this your alternative as either a reader, a writer, or a fan, then - we welcome you into our family.
Format
What format do you use?
We work in 3rd person limited point of view narrative in (mostly) the present tense. It's not “I am walking to the store.” it's “Tim walks to the store.” Past tense also works. You can tell what your character is thinking. You can have them guess at what the other guy will do or say, but it doesn't compel them to do or say those things.
What is “god-modding?”
God modding is where you, as a player, make decisions about what another character will do or how well they will do it without getting the other player's feedback on the matter. For example, if Sue Dibny noted in her post that she saw Bruce Wayne twitch at the sight of someone without getting the Batman player's permission to see such an action happen, that is god-modding. It is considered rude and can derail stories. One place where god-modding is acceptable, however is when a hero is plowing through a bunch of NPC thugs. In which case, describe the fight as realistically as possible, but don't worry too much about getting permission from whoever is writing the filler character thugs.
A cousin to god-modding is assuming your character knows something that they probably have no business knowing. Examples might be secret identities, a plot point that needs to stay hidden, information about a brand new character, etc. This can get a little tricky because some characters really have it be their jobs to know vast quantities of information. When in doubt - ASK.
How does a typical scene go?
Someone starts a scene. Whoever wants the first post responds to the scene. From there all parties take turns with responses. We are looking for a clean progression which makes things easier to read and understand, so the comments need to go below the last one in sequential order or on a new thread. If the thread gets to be ridiculously long, please start a new one. Scenes are worked on typically until they are done. There is no such thing as “too old” of a scene to work on. If you do take your time to finish something really neat, please post a link to the finished scene on OOC with a short description so people can go read it.
“Administrators” versus “Moderators.”
Most games have “moderators” who take the leadership positions and make the game run smoothly. We have a group of 5 leaders called “administrators” or “admin.” The main difference is a philosophical one. Moderators monitor and adjust activity. What an administrator does is paperwork and other minor things to make the place as a whole run smoothly. For the most part, we expect you to self-start, solve your own issues and continue doing your own thing at your own pace free from interference. If you need help, we expect that you will take the initiative and contact us.
Rules
We're telling this story together, or not at all.
Every single thing on this FAQ comes back to this one point. We have a "theater troupe" of players here that have RPed with each other in some cases for years, and as such we have been able to constructively deal with any issues that have arisen in the past. For this to continue to work we need to be able to trust and work together for the good of the story. For the story to work, the players need to be comfortable with their roles, themselves, each other and what they are doing. If something is “off,” speak up. Yes, even if it’s not in your area of the game.
What we expect canon and history-wise.
An encyclopedic knowledge of the DC universe's canon is not a requirement for this game and in some cases might not even be desirable. There are big canon issues and little canon issues. Superman came from Krypton. Batman's parents died when he was very young at the hands of thug. Wonder Woman is an Amazon from the island of Themyscira. Those are all good examples of big canon issues that don't change. Smaller issues that are subject to change would include things like who a character is dating or where they are living at a particular time - as long as we have internal story logic and the players around you agree, we'll be happy.
However, you will be expected to learn or know canon pertaining to your character, including prior canon that happened within this game eventually. For example: You should know from DC that Nightwing grew up in the circus, lost his parents, was Batman's apprentice and founded and ran the Titans. You don't have to know everything before becoming a part of us, but once you are in the game you should learn he's married with a child, died once and came back, and considers and addresses Donna Troy as his sister.
Now if you want him single, without a kid, and to have a less sibling relationship with his fellow Titan and everyone around you agrees, it can probably be done, just not in the "::poof:: never happened" immediate sort of way. We tend to avoid “Crisis” moments; it will need to be something you work towards with other players.
Play Nice with Others - a Primer.
What "telling this story together" means here is that everyone, even people not directly involved with a particular plot, have a voice in what others are doing because we're all involved with the overall story. For example: Someone not playing a Green Lantern or Gothamite can comment on GL and Gotham things because Gotham and the Green Lantern Corp are part of the overall story we're working on. Granted, the people playing characters are going to have more of a say in things and dictating what another player can do (not be there, be de-powered, go crazy, must chose the blue pill when the player of the character is saying he'd take the red, and so on) without their permission is just plain wrong. After a certain point the needs of the community to make sure things run smoothly outranks all objections. Name-calling, pointless sarcasm, withholding communication, being disingenuous, picking fights, going after someone who asked for breathing space, or using “breathing space” as an excuse to never actually go back and fix the problem, and so on is not "togetherness" nor a method a player should be using to get their way.
You don't have to run every scene past the admins before launching it. You do have to run it by the players of any affected characters. If Nightwing wants to visit the Flash, go for it -- just make sure that the Flash isn't already otherwise occupied. This goes for player-player interactions, too -- respect people's time, don't be a jerk about things, and if you have any problems with another player that can't be solved one-on-one quietly, please talk to an admin. Plots are a bit bigger, but even then, just let the admin now what you have planned in case there is a problem or something goes wrong.
Character violence needs to happen for many of our stories because we're working in a comic book word. That said, there should be no maiming, killing, or leveling someone's house without the other player's permission. Fight scenes generally work best when both sides of a fight map out what's going to happen in advance, kinda like pro wrestling. Please remember, though, that unless you're Superman going up against a standard street thug, most comic book fights are give and take - saying that a character never hit you (unless you're the Flash or a top-ranked martial artist like Batman or Lady Shiva) probably isn't very realistic. If a character never gets damaged mentally, physically or emotionally then the player is likely missing the point of comic book RP. Again, if there is a problem, talk it out between players and if that does not work, get an admin.
"In game" posts should be posted in the dc_nation community and other guidelines.
If you have an in-character post that is rating PG-13 or lower that you want to make sure is seen by other players, post it in
dc_nation. If you are speaking as yourself about the game or want to post a meme, then use OOC.
If you want to make a news announcement, use your private journal or OOC. If you are advertising more than just personal news, like say another game, then ask the admin first.
Please keep the “leaving the game” notices tasteful and names out of it or they are subject to deletion.
Tag your posts!!!!!
Any characters in the post should have a tag on the post
The plot name should be tagged on the post if it is part of a specific plot.
If the scene somehow is very critical to a character who might not be there, tag it. Example would be tagging “Lex Luthor” on a scene where Superboy discovers he’s related to the criminal mastermind.
If the majority of a team is in the scene, tag with both the characters and the team tag.
The PG-13 rating is for pragmatism.
Many of our players have "trigger issues" - before starting a post/plot that could involve a trigger issue (child abuse, rape, etc.), please announce your intentions before beginning so that it can be addressed. Also, while most of us here are quite dedicated to freedom of speech and information we also live in a world with employers, children, parents, really bad filter programs, and so on who might not be as understanding.
Bottom line, if you wouldn't show it to a savvy 11 year old or a 90 year old grandmother then there are two options:
- Lj-Cuts with a warning about the content within. This is best for scenes that might conceivably go over the line or be someone's trigger.
- If it's just plain NC-17 or X-rated, move it to private journals, please. It's not that we don't love you and want to read it. Those post just don't belong on the comm.
“Pretend-y fun time games” and the Nation Philosophy
There is a somewhat famous essay in LJ RP circles regarding what one player regards as the proper perspective when it comes to RP and the “drama” it can potentially create. It's a nice thought and the sense of perspective is welcome. We are playing make-believe in a not-very-realistic world with things like magical robot ninjas. At the same time, the emotions are somehow very, very real even if it’s all just pretend. Don’t ask us how it works. It just does. Actors are reported to have the same situation, as are some writers. If we were not attached to any of this stuff a bit more than the average fan, we probably wouldn’t be writing it. So, yes, this is pretend and people shouldn’t take it all that seriously or go into hate-filled rage over what one character did to another. What you should take seriously is the creative process and other people’s self-expression - even when this self-expression comes out as Plastic Man fighting a bunch of pirate gorillas. In addition, remember to respect the work other people put into this game. It may be “pretendy fun time,” but real effort is put into it, and respecting the people behind that work is important.
Minimum and Maximum Posting Guidelines.
We have a strict “Life Before Game” policy. This does make the pace here slower than other LJ RPs out there, but to be able to retain the talent we feel we have here makes it a good trade off. That said, we have some idea about how often we’d like to see certain characters participate in plots and scenes.
Primary characters should be in a scene at least once a month (if not more).
Secondary characters should be in a scene at least once every two months (if not more).
“Plot” characters, like support cast and villains, do not need to be in scenes regularly, but you should be ready to involve the character in some form of a plot at least once a year.
If you have difficulty meeting these guidelines, the admin is here to assist you to make your posts, not punish you for failing to meet requirements. However, if you routinely fail to meet the requirement, we may need to discuss alternative options with you -- which can potentially include removing the character from your roster.
If you agree to participate in a plot, let folks know if you have to be offline for an extended period, and talk about what they can do if you suddenly disappear -- death in the family, computer goes boom, whatever. Generally people say, "Okay, you can NPC my character, and they're likely to do this and such in a given situation," or they let a trusted friend play understudy. Whatever works for everyone. The Admin do reserve the right, however, to temp a character for action scenes if a plot needs to move forward - including OCs - though we’d prefer to just have you around.
Note that there are no maximum posting limits, so you may post with your character as often as you like, even if they are a secondary or a plot character. Try not to have your character in 2 places at once though.
I need to be away from the community for awhile.
No problem. Just post a hiatus notice to OOC. If your absence is going to interfere with a plot, let the people involved know and pick someone to temp the character if your part in the plot can’t wait.
If this is going to be an ongoing issue, like for an illness, family problem school issue, etc. - let the admin and your fellow players know. We respect your privacy, but we also get worried when we don’t see you and frustration can erupt from misunderstandings. Beyond the game aspect of things, we want to help. It’s not just a game here, it is a community.
Before quitting, please read.
If it’s a matter of having very little time, it might be better to just go on hiatus or to step into a “idea consultant” role.
If it is a conflict with another player, please contact the admin.
If you are in the middle of a plot or scene, please finish it - especially if it is a plot.
If you are having physical or mental issues, take a hiatus until you are in a better place to manage things and then come back and deal with what’s going on. We’ll be here.
If you can’t find RP, talk to other players in your character’s sphere or talk to an admin.
If you are not getting the character’s voice, try a different character.
If all else fails, we’re sorry to see you go and your contributions to the game will be respected. Let the admin know you are leaving and/or post something tasteful to OOC so we can wish you well and update things accordingly.
We have a dim view of quitting or threatening to quit as an attention-getting or bully tactic. Please know that, if you quit and leave other people hanging either in scenes or in the middle of a personality dispute and then wish to come back there will be a 3 month probationary period where the admin will monitor your behavior.
Conflict - On Quitting, Staying and Other Games
It’s so easy to say “check your baggage at the door,” and leave it at that, but that kind of blanket policy doesn’t always work when strong feelings and human beings are involved. Most people know the routine. If something makes you uncomfortable, talk to the person involved. If you can’t, it doesn’t work out or you feel intimidated, then get the admin. If it is with an admin, get another admin...
But sometimes there are just things that develop that get too big for two (or more) people to remain in the same space and someone decides to leave the game. If you are the remaining players, please don’t gloat or fume, especially not in the chat. We can overlook the occasional comment, but not a constant stream of negativity. Most of all do not try to bully, harass, cajole or otherwise mistreat any remaining friends the absent player may have. Venting is fine and we think is often helpful, but the person on the other end has to be okay with it.
If someone is seething about an absent friend in your direction, your job is the same as any other conflict - try to get them to stop between the pair of you. If it continues get an admin. Don’t make another player’s drama your drama.
If you do leave, we can’t ask anything more of you. We would request you comport yourself with grace. Wrap up your work. Make your leaving post tasteful. If you accidentally get a com e-mail, just let the admin know. (Former players are only fully taken off the wiki by request.) Please no harassing players who stay behind when you leave.
As a final note on the subject, Nation shares players with multiple games and sometimes conflicts in one game have spilled over onto Nation. We hate it when that happens, because the admin have no control over what happens in those other games. Try your best to leave what bothers you in that game with that game. If it is a personality conflict which spans the games, then we may need to meet with the leaders of that other game to work out a solution - but that would be voluntary on their part. We can only deal with what comes into Nation.
People who deliberately set out to goad fights are subject to immediate expulsion. We’re too damn busy for that kind of foolishness.