This stuff all happened on the discussion list, as well, and the RP-list.
The difference with the forums is that people who aren't interested in reading about the Magistrate cases can just not click on that subforum. If you didn't care about certain topics on the discussion list, too bad, you received all the emails anyway.
I have seen so much more good come from the forum and IRC than bad. Basically, you get out of it what you put into it. There are people who will cause problems wherever they go—either individually, or in combination with certain other people that they just can't get along with.
That is not the fault of the communications medium. It is the fault of the people.
There is one thing that can be done better on the forums, and that is moderation. The mods really do need to be more aggressive about shutting down personal attacks and flames, wherever they pop up—though in some cases, like on the current Magistrate case thread, doing so may be somewhat tricky, due to the nature of the case. It's worth remembering that mods have the power to edit posts and remove pieces that are unacceptable, rather than just deleting entire posts.
Anyone who feels that sticking to in-game communication is best for them, that's perfectly fine, and more than fine. The game is the main point of the BattleMaster community, and should be its focus.
For everyone else, the most important thing is to remember that it is just a game, and that even though people's characters may be enemies of your characters in-game, those people are not your enemies. They are fellow players of this game, and the game will thrive best if its players enjoy each other's company and get along together.
