I appear to have stumbled across a new game. It’s called JudiciaryMaster.
It is almost staggering reading through that anyone has entertained this topic this far.
What did I see as a player in Arcachon? I saw Duchy after Duchy break from realms to join into a new SuperState, rendering several realms (ie. Cathay and Ohnar especially) massively reduced, and then suddenly Alliances and Peace Treaties forged within a few days. The problem with that, and thus my own comment in Arcachon, was that it seriously jeopardised the game and the situation of F.E.I. Imagine, because lets face it it was possible, and still is, that the Duchy-changes continued. There were two surprise Duchies who joined Toupellon, so lets entertain there were more. Lets say everyone jumped on the bangwagon of this new realm. Every Duke apart from those who command Capital Regions defects to Toupellon and suddenly you’ve got 16 Duchies under this new realm. Game over. F.E.I. is nigh ruined. And if there was no roleplay and no real IC efforts made to tie it all together, or explain or enrich the whole scenario, would it have been a positive for the continent and the Game at large? No it wouldn’t. That’s what David was addressing, perhaps not in the most tactile way admittedly.
Lets look at a counter claim shall we?
“Powergaming (or power gaming) is a style of interacting with games or game-like systems with the aim of maximising progress towards a specific goal, to the exclusion of other considerations such as (in videogames, boardgames, and roleplaying games) storytelling, atmosphere and camaraderie.”
If there’s no roleplay and little in the way of IC storytelling then surely this mass succession in F.E.I. to create a superstate is “maximising progress towards a specific goal, to the exclusion of other considerations”.
And yet what did you have with Toupellon but a lack of roleplay, a lack of IC explanation or depth or anything. I mean the other realms didn’t even address the issue with War. Ignoring the >massive< oathbreaking and geo-political powershifts, which if it was an SMA continent would be nigh inexcusable from an IC perspective, and yet loads of realms were simply cowed into signing Peace with the new realm out of, I expect, a mix of shock and a fear of standing up for themselves for fear of being entirely destroyed. Though is seems Cathay is to be the exception.
Now as David put it the problem was the massive lack of substance to the whole affair. It seemed like an entirely contrived effort from the point of view of spectators and even those involved, as he as a player was, as they were forced into the new realm or left watching it happen. F.E.I. is meant to be a “Roleplaying Continent” is it not? I mean it says it on the continent description. So for something like this to happen with apparently little in the way of depth or roleplay is a poor show. I think you’ll find that is what David was addressing, whereas I was more struck by the game issues of suddenly a superrealm springing forth and seemingly an endless run of duchy changes which could have largely left one realm in total control of most of the continent. You know, the thing that’s not supposed to happen on BM - A continent being “won”.
I genuinely thought this is the kind of thing Tom would be against. I must be wrong.
----------------
Now from a “Judicial” point of view (since apparently the righteous intent of the independent and arbitrary Dispensers of Justice Committee is throbbing so heartily amongst the few who speak up here) If you really wanted to >prove< his ‘claims’ were for cheating you need to say where he specifically said “They’re cheating”. Which he didn’t do. What he pointed out was that characters who joined the realm seemingly from no where and entirely different realms got appointments with no explanation or anything. Nothing was done to explain the situation really. He raised this problem IC also, thats a fact that has been neglected to be mentioned here.
And the suggestion he sent more than the two messages published is a lie. The OOC chatter in Arcachon died pretty quickly.
I put it to you, if Thulsoma, or “The Saxons!” ‘did a Toupellon’, what would your reaction be? I would put plenty of money that somewhere a forum topic would have leapt up claiming it was fishy and decidedly ‘against the spirit of the game’. The difference being that for all the controversy and claims and counterclaims made about the Saxons the one truth is that they contributed massively IC and in terms of Roleplay to the game. Just look at Dwilight without them. They roleplayed the whole Saxon thing nigh to death. Perhaps David simply expects the same amount of effort to be put in by those making even bigger waves in terms of Continent Power and political upheaval on a Roleplaying continent. Quite honestly, so do I.
The trouble with this whole situation is it’s OOC hysteria.
A few of us are lucky enough that we don’t live in the culture of “Insta-Libel” and having to watch our every words just in-case we “offend” or “infringe upon” someone with our views, and in casual chatter trying to construe that serious allegation was being made against someone is laughable. Enough people in Arcachon seemed to think the situation was odd or disappointing, and those players are those who characters who regularly seem to argue with one another. Says a lot about OOC reactions between players when it comes to light it’s not just the reaction of >one< player who can easily be targeted.
Otherwise all you’re saying is “Don’t ever voice an opinion OOC” …. Unless of course it’s on the Forum in which case, apparently, you can be as trumped up, egotistical, insultingly dismissive, purposefully confrontational and quite plainly predictably hostile to anyone, anywhere, and get away with it. Thumbs up for the Community.
This whole Forum seems to ruin the basic nature of Battlemaster : Playing– >The Game<. BM. Ran fine for years without this ridiculous amount of OOCism and the Forum just gives more avenues to bring the personalities of the players out rather than the Game being ran through the characters, with the occasional OOC comment here and there within realms. No one lamented the lack of OOC elements before the Forum compared to the masses who simply enjoyed the game for what it was IC.
And you know since this “Jury” seems to be made up players who have all had provable issue with David or his characters at some point it’s a biased farce anyway, and in a real life Jury it would be dropped and the whole thing considered untouchable.
Geronus, Chénier, Indirik, Sacha - issues with the character of Haruka in Thulsoma on Dwilight.
^ban^ issues with the character of the popularly hated Xaphan in Norland on Atamara.
Bedwyr, Lefanis and of course Anatole himself who is directly involved in this whole dispute with Farnese in Arcachon and Druhtinaz priorly in Toupellon on F.E.I.
Did I miss anyone out?
And most of you have spoken against David on the forums before also.
If you want this Jury thing to hold up it should be minimal in bias, involving random players and with as little input from additional parties as possible just like a real Jury. Something akin to the Peer Review you get In-Game ; Nigh anonymous. Not this Arbitrary Oligarchy with vested interests in “nailing the Vanimedle’”. I mean, anyone who knows of your character interactions can see it. It’s more than obvious. And even if you wished to maintain that you were entirely impartial in your judgements OOC regardless of IC occurrence and history ; No proper Judicial court would allow such a hung Jury, simply for the past associations. Its self evidently-flawed.
Before anyone claims otherwise - that would be what I’d say in any situation like this ; because it’s simply true.
If there’s no OOC element to Toupellon and no one thinks it’s damaged the continent by questionable means, if Tom doesn’t think it’s in any way exploiting what I think is a bad idea (multiple Duchies changing to form a new realm (and personally I think Duchies should only be able to Sucede, not switch realms to avoid exactly this)) then good, fine, well done, but points deducted for the lack of RP. You have nothing to fear from someone making idle comment, and little grounds to construe it into being a full on allegation of “cheating”.
Cheating suggests effort, what more was being highlighted was the apparent lack of effort. That’s a very clear distinction to be made.
If this whole thing turns out the way it looks like it’s going to .. then .. wow. Where has the BM of 2009 gone but lost to a minority on a Forum. The game will have become little more than a sideshow for an OOC stage.
I truly hope that is not the case.
