[mormegil]

The following post was a sticky thread submitted by Saucepan man, but in an effort to capture all pertinent posts into one thread I will merge his post into this thread.



I am becoming increasingly concerned over the amount of rancour that these games seem to be causing.

In particular, I think that some of the criticism of personal playing styles and the resulting disagreements are becoming rather out of hand.

It has been said many times, but it bears repeating. Tol-in-Gaurhoth is just a game - one that is intended to be played between any forum members who wish to join in the spirit of fun. It is not an examination or a professional project, upon which fellow players are to be judged. The only qualification to play in a Werewolf game is that you are prepared (unforeseen events apart) to make sufficient commitment to the game to post at least once per day and to see the game through to its end (or to your end, as the case may be). Beyond that, there is no obligation placed upon players, whether with regard to the number of posts, playing style or the quality of play.

As far as involvement is concerned, relative silence is perfectly valid, whether as a playing style or as a tactic.

As far as playing style is concerned, the interest of the game often lies in the variety of different playing styles. If we all played the same way, then it would be a dreadfully dull game, surely. And, where we are simply playing for the pure enjoyment of it, no one playing style is “better” than any other.

And as far as quality is concerned, I would reiterate that this is a recreational activity, played for fun, not a job or an examination. A certain degree of deconstruction and discussion following the game is fine, and has become standard. But problems can arise when this moves into the area of personal criticism. If you feel that other players “let you down” because they did not (in your subjective opinion) play well enough, then you are taking things far too seriously. That kind of an approach might be justified in some kind of professional Werewolf league, but it has no place in a simple internet activity which is intended purely for the enjoyment of those participating.

Accordingly, going forward, I reserve the right to delete any post, whether in whole or in part, which I consider is unduly critical of other players, or is becoming too personal or offensive, or where the debate is simply becoming too heated and so potentially spoiling the fun for others.

Furthermore, if the current trend of increasing rancour and disagreement continues, then I will consider the options of either calling a halt to Werewolf games in general or barring certain players from playing (and, believe me, I can enforce such measures if I have to). That may seem overly dictatorial by some, but my concern is to ensure that the game may be enjoyed by all able and willing to participate, not just by those with particularly strong or loud views. I hope and trust, however, that such draconian action will not become necessary.

This thread is closed to further posts. If, however, you wish to comment on anything that I have said above, please feel free to do so in the regular Tol-in-Gaurhoth admin thread.