Changes to DM Supported Programs – Class Applications and Approved Biographies

[Xorena]

Also it seems that we have removed DM "approval" while retaining DM "disapproval" Having gone through something like this I have to say that being "disapproved" of by a bunch of rule-mongering players and DMs is of course unpleasant, but further, when they're done "disapproving" because you've changed your story, there is no "approval" to be gained, you just have to hope you wont fall into disfavor, and it strikes me that this is not a very welcoming community. I've seen in a short time things from female characters getting harassed, including gross connotations involving female halflings, to players feeling sanctioned to treat orcs the way they think black people ought to be treated. Thats all fine, but its not fine to put an unusual backstory to a character.

I have a feeling, like the post above, that this has happened to a lot of players. Luckily there are lots of other games to play. Enjoy the company you keep.

-Meatiest

Hey there, I wanted to chime in as I am a member of the Red Wizard faction, and two of the three classes that used to require DM approval are part of the Thayan Enclave (Red Wizard and Thayan Knight).

I haven't met you and I'm not sure if you are talking about Red Wizards. I am sorry you faced this level of elitism. (Edited after reading Summerbreeze's post.)

I encourage any player who is interested in playing in our faction in a lore-appropriate way (key phrase) to please contact us OOC if you have questions. It is a very lore-heavy faction. Sometimes players need help understanding the lore, or what titles are and that sort of thing. I have been playing with the lore for about two years and even I need to read books every week to expand my knowledge or if I have questions.

Sometimes players do like to troll and might say their sorcerer is from Samas Kul's personal guard and has authority over all Red Wizards, which is an entirely made-up example that would be laughed out of the guild. If people want to troll us, we're not interested.

Finally, the Thayan Enclave has a new OOC behavior policy, which I am posting below for everyone's benefit.

In the spirit of cooperative roleplay and respect for your fellow players, please adhere to these guidelines.

Do not harass or bully your fellow players. Do not use any discriminatory language, inappropriate "jokes" or slurs, including but not limited to age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sex, or sexual identity during the course of any OOC conversation, and keep any discriminatory language IG focused on advancing RP.

Use common sense. Be kind to others OOC. Being kind to people OOC is perhaps more important in an evil faction than in others. We are trying to build story, not earn internet points and ruin people's day.

The Thayan Enclave is not a venue for ERP (Erotic Role Play), which is banned on BGTSCC. You are not obligated to roleplay uncomfortable situations nor are you obligated to roleplay with people who make you uncomfortable. Speak to guild leaders if you need help.

[DM SummerBreeze]

This.

If this new strategy to lessen the workload of the DM's by allowing these classes to be free to choose from without Dm supervision, things will continue the way they always have been before:

1.) The players that don't approve of the PC misrepresenting the class will be made a fool of by the king of lore (In Character).

2.) Then the players that don't approve will whine to the DM Team. Probably by mass report to try to force the DM team to make a rash ban decision due to stress.

3.) Or if 1/2 fail. The players will then provoke the Player to PvP to call in the 24 hour rule.

4.) If there isn't a group to take the player down, they will simply ignore the player and continue as usual.

Eventually if this method is used the player will quit the server and we will have 1 less player helping sustain the server, or in this case we will have 1 less "tainted" player bothering our Rp.

Also it seems that we have removed DM "approval" while retaining DM "disapproval" Having gone through something like this I have to say that being "disapproved" of by a bunch of rule-mongering players and DMs is of course unpleasant, but further, when they're done "disapproving" because you've changed your story, there is no "approval" to be gained, you just have to hope you wont fall into disfavor, and it strikes me that this is not a very welcoming community. I've seen in a short time things from female characters getting harassed, including gross connotations involving female halflings, to players feeling sanctioned to treat orcs the way they think black people ought to be treated. Thats all fine, but its not fine to put an unusual backstory to a character.

I have a feeling, like the post above, that this has happened to a lot of players. Luckily there are lots of other games to play. Enjoy the company you keep.

-Meatiest

I do know what this pertains to, and I personally thought we were being pretty helpful with working with you toward your IC goals. I am sorry that you felt this way about the interaction, and it was not mine or others intention to make you feel ostracized from this community at any point. In the end, this is a giant online D&D campaign, and as such, the DM's are the storytellers here just as they are in any other tabletop D&D game. As such, we do have to maintain some amount of control over the narrative of the world. Sometimes we suspend disbelief or bend the core "rules" or history of the Forgotten Realms in favour of freedom of player choice and DM creativity, in some cases we have to turn down some ideas that come to us, or even position them in a different way (as your case was.) to be able to move forward.

I think that since you consider this level of narrative control by DM's as elitism, or rule-mongering, it is perhaps worth considering that this server and community just might not be the place for you. That's totally OK, we all know that this place wont be for everyone. I mean even for me, I take issue with how some things are done too from time to time, and no place is perfect. At the end of the day though, you just have to look at it and decide "Is this place fun for me?" and if the answer is no, as your post and discussions here seem to indicate, then you have your answer, but I think the way you are openly being quite hostile toward the team and playerbase here, is probably not the right direction to have toward a community you are or were, trying to be a part of. Just my 2 cents and personal opinion, and speaking for myself, not the team as a whole.

If you do decide that you do want to continue here, you are more than welcome to pick up the discussion you were having with myself and others via PM toward reaching the goals you desired IC. None of us hold any hard feelings either way.