Suggestions for staff conduct.... etc...
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:45 pm
Allow me to present you with a simple example where you my reader get to sit at the role of Player A.
Well, you should go over to the 'Courtesy Towards Staff' section on the server rules as it has the following quote on it:
In order to defend himself, Player A has clearly had an 'issue with a staff ruling' and to prove his innocence he has 'argued with the staff' instead of contacting the 'relevant staff member above them' whoever that might be in the byzantine hierarchy of BGTSCC. You would have to guess who that is, which in turn means you are 'fishing for a yes reply', and that is another rule violation. (And so on, and so on.)
The above quote is basically the old rule of 'Do not argue with DMs' phrased slightly differently.
Thus as a whole, what we are looking at is just a Kafka trap. You are damned if you, and you are damned if you do not. Clearly when you get accused of something on this server, you are expected to roll on your back and thank with glowing praise for the unavoidable punishment.
While it might make server rule enforcing relatively simple matter for the BGTSCC staff, it is also something that only creates nothing but feelings antipathy towards the server staff. But that is not all it does, because this is something makes player cliques necessary because you cannot really interact with players you do not think you can trust. Thus this practise that has no semblance of fairness is something that will drive players away. Just have a look at the servers that sit at 0/X number of players in the server list.
And yes, this an old practise on this server... It is unlikely to ever be changed... But the whole problem could be fixed rather easily. Let the accused know what they are accused of. Since accusations need to be posted on the forums, it is easy to just quote a PM and paste it to a new PM. The effort it takes is less than the hundreds custom icons I've done for this server...
Oh, and please tell your forum moderators that regular users cannot edit posts in locked threads, unless you are just looking for an excuse to ban someone...
Anyhow, this is probably the last thing I will have to do with this server. The staff of BGTSCC can pat their backs for driving yet another player away through their systematic griefing and bullying. Thus with me gone, the only real question left is who gets to be their next victim?
Or you know, perhaps change their code of conduct so the staff doesn't kill this server with the same toxicity that has killed so many servers before.
Now, I am not saying that it is impossible for Player A to convince the DM team that he has done no wrong, it is just highly unlikely without actually knowing when and what exactly he has been accused to have been done. But let us assume that Player A manages to do just that by some odd miracle. What do you think happens to Player A now?Any Generic BGTSCC DM: We accuse you of something.
Player A: Okay, what is that something? What is this about?
Any Generic BGTSCC DM: We cannot tell you that. We need to protect the accuser and therefore we cannot divulge any more information. You are accused of something. We would very much like you to stop doing that something.
Player A: I have no idea what you are talking about. If I do not know what I have supposedly done, when I have done it, how on Earth do you think I act any differently?
Any Generic BGTSCC DM: We the DMs have considered what you have said and we have found you guilty of doing something. We have decided to ban you until Xth day of Yth month.
Well, you should go over to the 'Courtesy Towards Staff' section on the server rules as it has the following quote on it:
If you have an issue with a staff ruling, don't argue with them but take your issue to the relevant staff member above them (Lead Moderator, QC Coordinator, Head DM, etc.).
In order to defend himself, Player A has clearly had an 'issue with a staff ruling' and to prove his innocence he has 'argued with the staff' instead of contacting the 'relevant staff member above them' whoever that might be in the byzantine hierarchy of BGTSCC. You would have to guess who that is, which in turn means you are 'fishing for a yes reply', and that is another rule violation. (And so on, and so on.)
The above quote is basically the old rule of 'Do not argue with DMs' phrased slightly differently.
Thus as a whole, what we are looking at is just a Kafka trap. You are damned if you, and you are damned if you do not. Clearly when you get accused of something on this server, you are expected to roll on your back and thank with glowing praise for the unavoidable punishment.
While it might make server rule enforcing relatively simple matter for the BGTSCC staff, it is also something that only creates nothing but feelings antipathy towards the server staff. But that is not all it does, because this is something makes player cliques necessary because you cannot really interact with players you do not think you can trust. Thus this practise that has no semblance of fairness is something that will drive players away. Just have a look at the servers that sit at 0/X number of players in the server list.
And yes, this an old practise on this server... It is unlikely to ever be changed... But the whole problem could be fixed rather easily. Let the accused know what they are accused of. Since accusations need to be posted on the forums, it is easy to just quote a PM and paste it to a new PM. The effort it takes is less than the hundreds custom icons I've done for this server...
Oh, and please tell your forum moderators that regular users cannot edit posts in locked threads, unless you are just looking for an excuse to ban someone...
Anyhow, this is probably the last thing I will have to do with this server. The staff of BGTSCC can pat their backs for driving yet another player away through their systematic griefing and bullying. Thus with me gone, the only real question left is who gets to be their next victim?
Or you know, perhaps change their code of conduct so the staff doesn't kill this server with the same toxicity that has killed so many servers before.