This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Author Topic: theRPGsite new Constitution  (Read 66321 times)

RPGPundit

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theRPGsite new Constitution
« on: August 25, 2006, 05:11:39 PM »
The following is the current Constitution for theRPGsite:

1. Registration is free, None of our features will ever be restricted to community supporters, nor do we restrict them on the basis of postcount or reputation. If your messages are funny, informative, or interesting on any level, please post them. If your replies help contribute to our conversations in any fashion, then please post those too. That should be your only incentive.

2.Speak your mind here, without fear! Our administrators and moderators aren't in the business of censoring what other people have to say. Censorship will not occur on this site. If you personally don't like a thread, then don't read it. If someone is being intentionally disruptive without contributing anything, they may be given sanctions ("sanctions" being a swift beating with the Spiked Baseball Bat of Great Justice), but no one will be moderated, censored, banned or otherwise messed with for expressing their positions.

3.That means all posts at theRPGsite represent the viewpoints of the writers under free speech. The RPGsite's hosts strive to provide an entertaining and interactive medium, and are not responsible for the views of individual visitors. All messages express the views of the individual authors, each author accepts final responsibility for what he or she says, etcetera etcetera etcetera.

4. TheRPGsite is meant to be a general, non-commercial forum for anything and everything related to Mainstream tabletop RPGs. This doesn't mean that you can't also talk about other games, electronic games, off-topic posts, or even talk about non-mainstream RPGs. Its just that the overall focus of the site is on mainstream RPG gaming as a hobby (not an "art" or a "lifestyle"), and that this will be the dominant paradigm under which this site operates.

5. This is an RPG site. It's not a pr0n site. It's certainly not an online vomitorium. If an image could get someone fired if they look at it from work, don't post it. Provide a link and clearly mark it as NWS (Not Work Safe). Likewise, if the image is upsetting or disturbing mark it as NMS (Not Mind Safe). When in doubt, presume everyone else works in a monastery and has a very weak stomach.

6.We realize that some gamers lack important social skills, but even if we explained each and every aspect of common sense and acceptable behavior there'd still be at least one rules lawyer either claiming something wasn't covered or trying to cleverly circumvent something that was. So if you want a Rule 0, here it is: use common sense. This is a site where we don't take things too seriously, but we also aren't here to just make a joke of everything. Try to show some respect for the participants of the site, and for the mission statement of the site (to be a forum for the discussion of Mainstream RPG gaming as a hobby). Don't engage in personal attacks, insults, or foolery if you don't also have an actual point to make. Don't piss off the guy with the spiked baseball bat. We want this site to be an open place for free discussion, and not some kind of joke, or some kind of totalitarian police-state. That requires participants in the site to demonstrate that they're capable of acting like intelligent adults who don't need to be policed.

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joewolz

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theRPGsite new Constitution
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2006, 05:53:03 PM »
Quote from: RPGPundit

4. TheRPGsite is meant to be a general, non-commercial forum for anything and everything related to Mainstream tabletop RPGs. This doesn't mean that you can't also talk about other games, electronic games, off-topic posts, or even talk about non-mainstream RPGs. Its just that the overall focus of the site is on mainstream RPG gaming as a hobby (not an "art" or a "lifestyle"), and that this will be the dominant paradigm under which this site operates.

Emphasis mine.  Does this mean that no one is allowed to take the tack I've bolded in your post above?  Talking about gaming as a subculture, or an art form, or a ( ::shudder:: ) lifestyle is verboten?
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Zalmoxis

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« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2006, 06:13:33 PM »
My hope is that it's just a guideline and not a rule, otherwise this site is already singling out certain types of play as unacceptable and may drive people away. Not to mention that alternate opinions drive debate... without them, you just have an echo chamber.

laffingboy

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theRPGsite new Constitution
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2006, 06:40:57 PM »
Few rules, few loopholes. Looks good.
The only thing I ever believed in the Bible was John 11:35.

RPGPundit

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« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2006, 07:18:34 PM »
Its a guideline. The idea is that, for example, Forge people shouldn't come on here thinking all of us RPGsite-ists see Indie gaming as equivalent to Jack Kerouac's poetry, which they apparently do.

The statements above are meant to establish the common values of this place. If people post representing alternate opinions, they may be mocked or argued with, but they won't be censored.

RPGPundit
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you've played 'medieval fantasy' until you play L&D.


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Lawbag

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« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2006, 08:30:27 PM »
certainly the rules leave No margin of error or misinterpretation, as well as being free from any form of Mod-clique.
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Yamo

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theRPGsite new Constitution
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2006, 09:47:45 PM »
What is a "non-mainstream RPG?"

From reading your blog, I *mostly* feel I know the answer (a highfalutin', "Narrativist" story game) , but I would worry that people unfamiliar with your views would not know where to draw that line.

For example, some might take it to mean an RPG that is simply unpopular or obscure, while still being very firmly-rooted in traditional RPG play paradigms.

Some clarification might be good.
In order to qualify as a roleplaying game, a game design must feature:

1. A traditional player/GM relationship.
2. No set story or plot.
3. No live action aspect.
4. No win conditions.

Don't like it? Too bad.

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joewolz

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« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2006, 07:38:57 PM »
Quote from: RPGPundit
Its a guideline. The idea is that, for example, Forge people shouldn't come on here thinking all of us RPGsite-ists see Indie gaming as equivalent to Jack Kerouac's poetry, which they apparently do.


Glad to know it's a guideline.  The Kerouac line made me chuckle out loud.  IMHO the guideline is a good one, everyone should be welcome to talk about how they view our shared hobby.
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RPGPundit

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« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2006, 12:39:45 AM »
The Kerouac line wasn't just something I made up. One of the Forge-ites posted this very stupid blog entry where he claimed that Ron Edwards and Co. were the new version of the Beat Movement and how he was all psyched that they were on the "cutting edge" (of what, I have no fucking idea). Talk about a lack of perspective.

Anyways, as to the question of what's mainstream, the answer is common sense. Any game that runs around making a big show of how its "not mainstream" (including anything from the Forge, and White-wolf style "storyteller" games) probably aren't mainstream. I mean shit, let's take them at their word. They claim that they aren't for the "masses", that's fine, I want fuck all to do with them.

Note that this doesn't mean you can't discuss these games on here; nothing is verboten in this board.  Just that the idea is not to have 50% of the threads on the main forum be about Exalted or Nobilis or My Life With Master; instead of, you know, games that people in the real world actually play.
We won't be having versions of the "RPG.net Darling" or the flavour of the month over here.

RPGPundit
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you've played 'medieval fantasy' until you play L&D.


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ARROWS OF INDRA
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Sojourner Judas

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theRPGsite new Constitution
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2006, 12:51:40 AM »
White Wolf's very much "for the masses." Second largest RPG publisher, sold in Waldenbooks... :p
 

RPGPundit

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« Reply #10 on: August 28, 2006, 04:44:51 AM »
Quote from: Sojourner Judas
White Wolf's very much "for the masses." Second largest RPG publisher, sold in Waldenbooks... :p


Since they themselves make claims not to be, I am more than happy to kick them to the curb, even though they don't actually have anything "innovative" about their design that makes them in any way different from traditional rpgs (other than the fact that railroading and bad GMing are built into the presumptions of how to run the game, and bizzarely seen as not just a good thing, but as producing "art").

RPGPundit
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you've played 'medieval fantasy' until you play L&D.


My Blog:  http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/
The most famous uruguayan gaming blog on the planet!

NEW!
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Dark Albion: The Rose War! The OSR fantasy setting of the history that inspired Shakespeare and Martin alike.
Also available in Variant Cover form!
Also, now with the CULTS OF CHAOS cult-generation sourcebook

ARROWS OF INDRA
Arrows of Indra: The Old-School Epic Indian RPG!
NOW AVAILABLE: AoI in print form

LORDS OF OLYMPUS
The new Diceless RPG of multiversal power, adventure and intrigue, now available.

Gabriel

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theRPGsite new Constitution
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2006, 11:48:30 AM »
Quote from: RPGPundit
We won't be having versions of the "RPG.net Darling" or the flavour of the month over here.


Oh, I think that's inescapable.  The only way to avoid it is to narrow the site's focus to be something like Dragonsfoot.  No matter what, people are going to be psyched about some new game or other, and a mob mentality will develop.

My hope is that if a group of posters creates a situation where one game dominates the entire forum (like what happened on RPGnet with Exalted), that something will be done to merge the threads and restore a semblance of balance.

RPGPundit

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« Reply #12 on: August 31, 2006, 03:28:26 PM »
Quote from: Gabriel
Oh, I think that's inescapable.  The only way to avoid it is to narrow the site's focus to be something like Dragonsfoot.  No matter what, people are going to be psyched about some new game or other, and a mob mentality will develop.

My hope is that if a group of posters creates a situation where one game dominates the entire forum (like what happened on RPGnet with Exalted), that something will be done to merge the threads and restore a semblance of balance.


Gabriel,

That's what I really meant. Obviously, people will get psyched about what's new and cool in the moment. But its one thing if people are excited about a game and quite another if a certain clique of posters run around declaring "game x is cool" and then swamping the boards with talk of nothing but that game to dominate the entire conversation.

And quite another thing above that if this sort of mentality is specifically ENCOURAGED by the moderation.

We won't be doing any of that here.

RPGPundit
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you've played 'medieval fantasy' until you play L&D.


My Blog:  http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/
The most famous uruguayan gaming blog on the planet!

NEW!
Check out my short OSR supplements series; The RPGPundit Presents!


Dark Albion: The Rose War! The OSR fantasy setting of the history that inspired Shakespeare and Martin alike.
Also available in Variant Cover form!
Also, now with the CULTS OF CHAOS cult-generation sourcebook

ARROWS OF INDRA
Arrows of Indra: The Old-School Epic Indian RPG!
NOW AVAILABLE: AoI in print form

LORDS OF OLYMPUS
The new Diceless RPG of multiversal power, adventure and intrigue, now available.

jrients

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« Reply #13 on: September 01, 2006, 09:24:29 AM »
I would encourage anyone that sees too many threads about a single game to start at least one thread about another system before they ask for admin help (such as requesting merging threads).  If duplicative threads exist I have no problem with merging them, but I'd much rather see new stuff than hide old content.
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RPGPundit

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« Reply #14 on: September 01, 2006, 01:17:43 PM »
Quote from: jrients
I would encourage anyone that sees too many threads about a single game to start at least one thread about another system before they ask for admin help (such as requesting merging threads).  If duplicative threads exist I have no problem with merging them, but I'd much rather see new stuff than hide old content.


Very good point, Jrients.  We'd really only "Merge threads" if it seemed like the number of threads on a given game were part of some concerted effort to over-run the board or something, anyways. I think otherwise a statement of principles and the fact that we the admins aren't going to be playing favourites is more than enough to ensure a balance.

Anyways, I'm also considering a few other options as far as this sort of thing is concerned... more on that later.

RPGPundit
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you've played 'medieval fantasy' until you play L&D.


My Blog:  http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/
The most famous uruguayan gaming blog on the planet!

NEW!
Check out my short OSR supplements series; The RPGPundit Presents!


Dark Albion: The Rose War! The OSR fantasy setting of the history that inspired Shakespeare and Martin alike.
Also available in Variant Cover form!
Also, now with the CULTS OF CHAOS cult-generation sourcebook

ARROWS OF INDRA
Arrows of Indra: The Old-School Epic Indian RPG!
NOW AVAILABLE: AoI in print form

LORDS OF OLYMPUS
The new Diceless RPG of multiversal power, adventure and intrigue, now available.