Trying to understand - AKA the post that will probably get me banned

[frankjacoby]

So, from reading various posts and just from interacting over the last few decades with this mud, that this is scripted by storytellers that control every aspect of the game. The lowest point in the game for me was accidentally orchestrating a plot to kill a sponsored PC that was in the middle of a series of plots.  At this point, I was stripped of my karma, banned briefly along with my merry crew of misfits who have since quit the game due to their inability to be recognized after the incident and never gained a point of karma since.  So, my questions are the following:

1. Why not let the players make their own destiny?
2. Why don't you stop controlling everything and let it flourish.
3. Why not give people a chance who want to contribute to this formerly wonderful game?
4. Why not explicitly mention that you are banning Malifax's present, past and future staff and player accounts?  If you did, great.
<Removed a question which was an unsubstantiated direct attack on another player -- Rahnevyn>
6. Why did you overhaul the guilds and subguilds, they were fine before?

Lastly, why on earth did you choose to run the game into the ground as you have?

I guess I won't be able to read any responses because I will be banned or otherwise forced to silence?

I will look on the shadowboards for feedback.

[Rahnevyn]

Just replying here to say that though you seem to be expecting it, there is no rule that says you will be banned for asking tough questions if you can do so in a constructive way.

To that end, I did moderate one of your questions which amounted to a direct personal attack on another member of the community. Please don't do that.

[najdorf]

My response is more related to your question #1, but covers some others too.

This is a complex issue. Let's say that I am the admin of House Borsail, and for over 30 years, countless hours have been invested in developing its plot, history, and cultural significance within the broader Nakki world. As the admin, I want players to focus on and participate in the plots surrounding House Borsail because it is a crucial part of the Armageddon world. Allowing players to make their own destinies might lead to the destruction of this carefully crafted culture. There are certain Houses, or certain power centers in that game that are critical pillars of Zalanthan culture, and in their absence, all the efforts of past will be gone.

There are solutions to this problem, one of them being: punishing players, blaming them, or ignoring them, which I believe is not the right approach. Instead, providing privileges and benefits to players who participate in these roles will naturally encourage them to take on those roles. The recent thread on "What would entice you to play in cities" shows that the staff is aware of the problem. However, it remains to be seen whether they will choose the correct solutions to tackle the issues that are aware of. What you have faced in the scenario you described is tightly coupled with the issues I mentioned here.

[CirclelessBard]

The staff have announced that Malifaxis is banned from the game. They did so about a month after the recent allegations came out. I do wish he was banned as soon as his behavior became an open secret within the community, because from my perspective both first- and second-hand, his presence accounts for a lot of the downturn the game has seen in the last decade. I also wish that, given the extensive delay in his banning, that staff announced he was banned the day the most recent allegations came out, and that he was not allowed to dictate the circumstances of his departure from the staff team. I hope that one day, the staff and certain prominent members of the player part of the community answer for the sheer amount of interference they have run for Malifaxis over the years. But hindsight is 20/20 and unfortunately, time travel doesn't exist (yet).

The other questions seem a bit on the loaded side, but I do agree that players deserve more agency and that staff leadership should pay closer attention to the community's mood.