Here's my attempt to take into account the various concerns I have heard in this thread. Critique away.
My first critique: you put the guidelines in a quote, which makes them harder for people replying to you to quote to address them directly
1. The Game Discussion board is for OOC discussion about the game. Here you are a player, not your character. Think and act accordingly.
This is good.
2. Do not quote messages from within the game under any circumstances, even ones you sent.
First of all, I'd like to say that I've never fully agreed with the restrictions people want to put on posting messages that people have sent in-game. If you are willing to share the information in-game, why are you not willing to share it outside the game? Anyone who's posting it on the forum has obviously already received it, so they have the ability to share it with any group they like in-game anyway...
That said, I do
understand the desire to prevent information that is still private to certain groups in-game from becoming public outside the game, and thus the restrictions on posting messages on the forum that your characters did not send.
I do
not understand how preventing quoting even messages your own characters have sent helps anything. Please justify this more fully.
3. No spoilers. Do not discuss events that are not public knowledge in at least one realm.
I like this, and in fact, I might almost say that this would be a better way to handle #2. However, I would change "realm" to either "realm or guild/religion" or "non-closed/non-exclusive group", since being public in a religion like Sanguis Astroism gets it before at least as many eyes as in many realms.
4. Respect the Social Contract. Here, that means be polite to your fellow players at all times. It is acceptable to disagree with them. It is not acceptable to abuse them because you disagree with them.
This is probably the most important.
5. Remember that every character and every realm has a player or players behind it. Please refrain from over-the-top criticism, excessive negativity, snarky comments, or trolling of any sort.
I don't object to this, but it seems like a restatement of #4. Perhaps it could be merged into it?
6. If someone makes you angry because they have violated any of the first 5 rules, don't respond in kind. Stop, breathe, and then use the Report function. The Moderators will deal with the situation.
This is probably the second most important of these guidelines.
My main worry with guidelines like these—particularly #2 and #3—is that Tom will see them as "just another set of rules" that people can game and lawyer their way around.
