SMA/IR question

[dustole]

I play from a phone and I have a limited amount of time to play.  I do not have the time to type out everyones full name and titles.  I explained this OOC, but the response I got was essentially "go play on a different island" 

Now I am getting chastised in game because I gave a report to the senate and I didn't address them as "Republican Senate of Terran"


I doubt this is an IR issue but to me it just seems really lame.  Further, are republics even SMA?  I am not a history buff for that era, but I seem to recall an old D-list convo about Republics and Democracies not really existing back then.


p.s.  I did use a computer to type this.

[Nosferatus]

well, yes that tends to be the culture of dwilight, but maybe you should try a diferent realm if you do not like it there.
Not every realm is the same.
But i think you will always find lords offended if you do not address them as such.

You could also organize a rebellion and install a goverment that speaks like commoners...

[Anaris]

Dusty's been on Dwilight nearly as long as you have, Nosferatus.  He knows the culture.

The problem here is that he's playing from his phone, which doesn't make it easy to type out long convoluted titles.

Personally, I don't think this should be a big problem. As long as he's not addressing them too informally or using abbreviations extensively, I think it's allowable to cut some slack for people who don't have the option of getting on BM from a regular computer most of the time.

And frankly, if their biggest SMA worry is one guy who doesn't always put in full titles because he's typing on a phone, I think they're doing pretty damn well overall.

[egamma]

Could you perhaps use your phone's autotext function to save some common titles/phrases?

[Velax]

It's a fair bit easier if you play on a phone with Swype, and add all the weird words like regions and people's names into the phone's dictionary.

[Indirik]

Those government styles are part of the game. If we didn't want them to be used on Dwilight, we could disable them without too much difficulty.

As for playing by phone, I do most of my playing by phone. And most of my forum posting, too. (My phone has a slide-out hardware keyboard, though...) I still manage to get most of the titles in. I suggest that you try meeting them halfway. Tell them that it is difficult to meet all those requirements on a touchscreen keyboard on your phone, but that you will do your best, and that you hope they will accept that you're not trying to be IC difficult or disrespectful. Then make sure you at least start the messages right, and use the appropriate "sir" and "lady" when needed.

We do need to keep the atmosphere appropriate for SMA. And yes, that does put a bit of a burden on the players to put in the extra effort to do it. But it also doesn't mean that we need to be harsh and unforgiving as players, and bludgeon each other over the head with the rules.

[Glaumring the Fox]

Ouch my head.  ;D

[Perth]

No one is chastising you. One (or two) Noble characters have scolded your Noble character, who I should might add is of already tarnished reputation in the realm she is in, for failing to given some simple, common courtesy that all nobles of the realm provide each other.

If something as simple and basic as using titles (the very first item listed in the SMA guidelines) can longer be insisted upon for the SMA island, then why even continue trying to insist we maintain a SMA on the island?

Furthermore, no one is asking you to be horribly elaborate or lengthy with it. Just to follow the same custom the rest of the realm does. I find it a little hard to believe that the player of Allison Kabrinski renowned around the whole island for her scheming, craziness and zealotry; high and influential within the game's largest religion, with many loyal followers, who founded her own realm based off her name, and who has and is actively involved in some private extensive role-playing relationship with the Zuma Daimon Overlord cannot spare two extra words in her letters.

"Duke John,"
"Sir Bob,"
"Magistrate Joe,"
"Senators,"

You really have no time or ability to extend to write those, when you've done all the above?



Furthermore, no one made it an OOC thing except for you. Allison is, obviously, not exactly "loved" in Terran. What one person might let slide from someone they like they won't from someone they don't. Or, they simply jump at the chance to criticize or nitpick someone they don't like. It's called IC conflict.

Hell, you haven't even bothered to address the characters first requests for you to use the titles IC. You just ignored them and kept doing it.... what do you expect to happen but those same characters to get more angry about it?

[dustole]

I did explain it ooc but was told I should leave dwilight.  I dont think that anyone is getting mad.  Or threatening anyone.  I just wanted some discussion.

[Tom]

My take:

One, real life takes precedence over a game.
Two, we all want to play a game together.
Three, the SMA rules are there for a reason.

If you were writing SMS- or Twitter-style, I would say that is not acceptable. Likewise, expecting the full title on every mentioning of the name is overdoing it. Somewhere inbetween should be a compromise that is workable for everyone. Like writing out the title (or at least a short version of it, like in the examples given above) in the first mention of a name, and then on repetitions within the same text, only the name or the title.

In the real middle ages, people wrote out those long titles on paper, and not with pens but with quills. Respect is in parts about inconvenience. However, this is a game, we are not about real respect, but a simulation of respect. So if you show that you're not completely ignoring it, and going the extra mile at least sometimes, I think that should be ok.

[Galvez]

Well, when I am playing on my phone, I am rather short and direct with my message than forgetting to address my fellow nobles appropriately.

[dustole]

Me as well.  I do try my best to include titles but my spare time is what dictates how many titles I use.  I tend to always use Brother/Sister in Sanguis Astroism and I will try and default to Lord/Lady otherwise. 

I don't care so much if I get verbally berated for not using the right titles I am more worried about being fined or banned.  Which is why I brought the discussion up here to debate it before it became a problem and maybe others have had similar issues.  If Terran wants to fine/ban Allison they have plenty of reasons to do so rather than the lack of titles.

[Vellos]

With all due respect, I think that the "appropriate titles" thing is being harped on for different reasons than you think.

ICly, you've violated several laws of Terran wholly separate from proper titles, and your messages were rude for other reasons.

Also, your messages weren't short. If Allison were just brief and you RPed it as needing brevity, that'd be one thing. But Allison has been sending multi-paragraph letters without salutations.

Also also, Terran's players are generally a very genial bunch, but are also a "keep it IC" bunch. I'm pretty sure if you give some kind IC excuse that's even remotely plausible, it'd be accepted. But thus far, Allison is sending long letters without salutations, and has given little to no IC excuse.

Literally all that's being asked for is, like, putting "Senate," at your letters. Its not just an SMA thing, it's a convenience-of-reading thing.

[dustole]

I looked back at my messages.  In the letter you are referring to I called you Chief Magistrate Hireshmont at least once.  I do have some access to BM on a laptop its just that the majority of my playing is on a phone.

[Cren]

Well that is a problem for many people. As soon as my char joined Fronen, I copied the titles for council members and saved in clipboard. I don't want to remember and write the "Savio della guerra" kind crap everytime I write a letter to any of them.