Regarding Vigilante Behavior
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:00 am
It has long been our policy in SCoD to not support any kind of vigilante OOC behavior and today with heavy hearts, believe it to be sarcasm if you wish but it is not, I was forced to take action against extreme case of such. I will remind again to not take rules into your own hands...
I do not enjoy the position where I am forced to impose a ruling to players, I really don't. In-fact, I quite hate it. Knowing that a person tried their genuine best to do something good, but two wrongs make not one right even if their views are good.
People will view my actions as an elaborate plot of favoritism toward a person for this, and I cannot dismiss their beliefs if that is what they've chosen. However I feel it crucial to express my side of the argument. I've been placed into the awkward position of having to cast a judgement over this exploded case... as far as it goes to evidences, this vigilante behavior is well documentated and even agreed by the offending side for verification of the facts.
For their case and reason, lets graciously for now ignore that two wrongs does not make one right alas while a lot of claims made about induced grief, evidences supplied to DMs at best quite hazy... several of these came from friends that talked for their friends and when I contacted the said claimed people, they did not wish to pursue on the matter which resulted me most often to do the same. If people wish to drop a matter, I feel it is not in my rights to try to force them into conflict unwillingly. Some valid ones also which were addressed and rules gone through over and out, making sure to respect rights. Lots of over viewing screenshots and text logs... yet where people see vile behavior, from a bystander it seems like contextual innocent behavior.
So I am left to make a consensus based on the facts that I've been provided. My choices are to agree with the mob to which my moral scale feels like I am doing something wrong, something which will cause me to hate myself. Or I can do what I feel is right and my actions inevitably dooming the majority to judge my actions, some of which may even feel indignant to leave. It is a difficult decision, but in the end of day... I rather be able to look myself in the mirror and not dislike what I've done. So far I've agreed a bit of both... and I believe neither side will much appreciate my actions... and that is what I must come one with.
Part of the weakness in our rules system I feel is that most players will remain oblivious about the discussions, warnings and when we handle matters each case by case basis in privacy... we feel no requirement to express everyone "Player X" was to blame, we feel everyone deserves a chance without a judgement cast upon player by DM team publically. It is not what we do.
Greatest issue this matter also has highlighted from a more innocent and naive perspective of server is... the playing of a villain or evil character. How far should a villain be allowed to go? And when is it alright to consider them a villain and how should you be allowed to oppose them? Also the issue of one-sidedness of what happens to villain after it all, or what happens to the "hero" after it all? These are each quite difficult questions, to which everyone first presumes there to be a simple answer, but I can confidently say... there is not a simple answer.
And I take these matters quite seriously... I'm sure while few got quite strong emphasis on it already, I also have had to stay up over an hour longer than I usually would leaving me sleep deprivated in real life that actually matters more than E-conflicts.
I do not enjoy the position where I am forced to impose a ruling to players, I really don't. In-fact, I quite hate it. Knowing that a person tried their genuine best to do something good, but two wrongs make not one right even if their views are good.
People will view my actions as an elaborate plot of favoritism toward a person for this, and I cannot dismiss their beliefs if that is what they've chosen. However I feel it crucial to express my side of the argument. I've been placed into the awkward position of having to cast a judgement over this exploded case... as far as it goes to evidences, this vigilante behavior is well documentated and even agreed by the offending side for verification of the facts.
For their case and reason, lets graciously for now ignore that two wrongs does not make one right alas while a lot of claims made about induced grief, evidences supplied to DMs at best quite hazy... several of these came from friends that talked for their friends and when I contacted the said claimed people, they did not wish to pursue on the matter which resulted me most often to do the same. If people wish to drop a matter, I feel it is not in my rights to try to force them into conflict unwillingly. Some valid ones also which were addressed and rules gone through over and out, making sure to respect rights. Lots of over viewing screenshots and text logs... yet where people see vile behavior, from a bystander it seems like contextual innocent behavior.
So I am left to make a consensus based on the facts that I've been provided. My choices are to agree with the mob to which my moral scale feels like I am doing something wrong, something which will cause me to hate myself. Or I can do what I feel is right and my actions inevitably dooming the majority to judge my actions, some of which may even feel indignant to leave. It is a difficult decision, but in the end of day... I rather be able to look myself in the mirror and not dislike what I've done. So far I've agreed a bit of both... and I believe neither side will much appreciate my actions... and that is what I must come one with.
Part of the weakness in our rules system I feel is that most players will remain oblivious about the discussions, warnings and when we handle matters each case by case basis in privacy... we feel no requirement to express everyone "Player X" was to blame, we feel everyone deserves a chance without a judgement cast upon player by DM team publically. It is not what we do.
Greatest issue this matter also has highlighted from a more innocent and naive perspective of server is... the playing of a villain or evil character. How far should a villain be allowed to go? And when is it alright to consider them a villain and how should you be allowed to oppose them? Also the issue of one-sidedness of what happens to villain after it all, or what happens to the "hero" after it all? These are each quite difficult questions, to which everyone first presumes there to be a simple answer, but I can confidently say... there is not a simple answer.
And I take these matters quite seriously... I'm sure while few got quite strong emphasis on it already, I also have had to stay up over an hour longer than I usually would leaving me sleep deprivated in real life that actually matters more than E-conflicts.