[MUD-Dev] Free Speech

[Jessica Mulligan]

Jeff Freeman said in [MUD-Dev] Free Speech:
>>>
Anyway... comments?  I'd tell him I reserve the right to ban people for
ticking me off, but somehow I don't think he'll accept that.
>>>

Jeff,

Rykus is obviously a rules lawyer, <g>.  Some people confuse the concept of
freedom of speech with "I can do anything I want, anytime I want!"  Some are
relatively benign; they just like a good philosophical debate.  The worst
rules lawyers want you to detail everything they aren't allowed to do, so
they can skate the edges and then argue it with you.  In detail.
Constantly.  Its part of the game to them.  If I had back all the hours of
my time wasted by this type in the last 15 years, I'd be three years younger
today, I swear.

Unfortunately, it has been my experience that you have to take some time
with these players and talk it out, or it just gets worse.  It's a fine line
between acting like a hard case and seeming like a soft touch for
exploitation.  These days, I usually go as far as three detailed emails and
a phone call.  At that point, if the player wants to continue, I just point
to the emails, apologize for not having the time to go into it further and
thank him for the time he put into the issue to make the game a better
place.

Rykus doesn't sound like the latter rules lawyer; he seems like a concerned
and well-meaning, if pedantic, player.  I'd simply thank him for the email,
note his concerns and remind him that, while you're in favor of free speech
as much as the next admin, in rare cases even admins have to act.  In the
one case, other members complained about unreasonable and irresponsible
activity in public earshot (the tinysex couple).  It was wholly appropriate
to ask them to take it elsewhere.  Note that they were not asked to stop,
just to move to a more private area.  This was a reasonable response, given
the community standards of the MUD.

In the second case, I think the admins were on shakier ground.  Depends on
whether the group was just in idle conversation or your admins had reason to
believe they were comparing prices to arrange for the member with lowest
local prices to buy for the others.  One is idle speculation; the other is a
conspiracy to commit a crime, which is not protected speech (and, under
RICO, could cost you the MUD, not to mention all the rest of your
possessions, just by being accused.  Considering the hysterical climate of
the "Drug War" and enforcement of RICO statutes in this country, that is a
legitimate concern).  If they weren't talking about someone making a buy,
maybe just tell him that the admins had to make a judgment call on that one.
They may have been right, they may have been wrong.  If the admins are wrong
too many times in these judgment calls, players will leave, which makes this
kind of thing is self-correcting.  The important thing to note is that the
judgment call, right or wrong, was made in a reasonable and responsible
manner.  Time will tell if it was the correct call.

Hope this helps!

Jessica Mulligan
Biting the Hand
http://www.happypuppy.com/indexes/features/bth_1.html




_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev