There’s something we on the team have been wanting to talk about for a long while. It’s a matter that concerns every one of us still playing not just on SCOD, but in NWN 2 as a whole; the nature of D&D as a game.
At its core, Dungeons and Dragons has always been a cooperative game. One where friends and new acquaintances alike can gather around the proverbial table and enjoy epic adventures together. It has never been a PVP game at heart. Well, at least not since the Chainmail days.
That spirit of cooperation is one we want to foster here on SCOD - both in the narrative, as well as our moderation.
On the part of the DM team, it means that we will be vigilant about keeping the game and Discord a positive place. Our community (and in fact our DM team) is a diverse one, made up of people from all over the world. We want everyone to feel welcome to express their creativity and share in our common hobby.
We will also endeavor to not pit players against players in our events. Yes, Planescape is a dark and gritty setting, and it's a lot of fun to be edgy and play politics in a dysfunctional world. That won’t go away! But the DM team isn’t interested in creating stories that force one group of players to lose to another group over and over again. Again, we find that to be against the very spirit of D&D.
Of course, conflict is in some ways unavoidable when delving deeply into the fantastical roles found in Planescape. Oftentimes it makes perfect sense in the stories told, and let’s face it: the struggles of ideals and morals are at the heart of many of the best stories in the genre. With that said, it is vital to remember that while characters may be at odds with each other, no one is OOC your enemy. Everyone is trying to do the same thing you are: play the game, and enjoy a tale where they are the protagonist.
In keeping with the above principles, we have had to use some harsher moderation in the past few weeks. Going forward, we would like to lay out some best practices and reminders:
Be respectful of your fellow players, and do not assume the worst of them. Most likely, they are just trying to play their character(s) and have fun.This also includes respecting your fellow players (and the DMs) time - everyone lives different lives, so doing our best to be flexible when we can, and forgiving when we can’t, can help keep server RP and events fun (and save everyone a bit of sanity!)
If your character does get into conflict with another character, keep the doors of communication open OOC. We don’t get to look each other in the face - but we can always send a friendly tell to reassure a fellow player of our intentions. If you are having trouble due to language barriers, please let the other player know politely, and feel free to engage the DM/Moderators to assist in adding clarity.
Along with the above, it’s important to show some restraint where possible, with regards to your own character's methods in achieving their goals. A prime example is PVP, and other moves that involve killing or otherwise outright shutting down or shutting out someone else's character from the RP at hand. Permadeath is by consent only and we do not intend to change that, so the story will flow better if conflicts lead to a resolution instead of a boycott. Rule of thumb: think about how you’d feel if someone destroyed your own character after years of development, or did everything in their power to block off any chance of progress on your side.
If one of your characters has a conflict with someone else’s character, try to keep your alts out of it. There can certainly be reasons for your alts to interact with each other - having mutual friends, similar Factions, etc. - but be careful to keep these relationships separate and distinct. It will lead to a more enjoyable experience for everyone. We do not want to institute rules that keep alts from knowing each other, but we will if necessary.
With that said, we acknowledge that it’s not always that simple. Sometimes, the OOC clash is much too real, and hurtful words can be spoken, accidentally or intentionally. In those cases, please reach out to the DM team, and we can provide moderation.
We do not expect for everyone to be the best of friends - there are bound to be people we prefer, and people we don’t - but we can all endeavor to keep this a place for everyone to have fun, and enjoy our preferred methods of escapism.
In the coming weeks, we will be revisiting and revising the server rules to better align with our views about cooperative play. We will also be opening the doors to community commentary on the server rules before they go into effect.
In the meantime, happy gaming, and have a lovely cycle.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)