I've noticed that TappingStones is not currently on the Blacklist or Probation list. I was under the impression that he was to be added?
Also, I think we could afford to clean up the replacement/modkill/probation list a bit and remove mentions of people who haven't played Mafia on here in over 2-3 years. Council, thoughts?
I'd concur that game hosts will need to continue to be the first line of defense against these behaviors. If that falls through, the correct procedure has been to contact the council as well.
But I also think we could do more to set the tone for our playerbase, by coming up with a set of expectations for what we consider to be good sportsmanship, and recommending that our game hosts adopt said guidelines in their OPs.
For example:
MTGS Sportsmanship Guidelines
Mafia, like any other game, is fundamentally about having fun with another group of human beings. Part of that fun comes from good, clean competition, but everyone should bear in mind that at the end of the day, no one (hopefully) is actually dying, and it's a social game. We like to encourage our players to think about how to play the game that not only allows them to enjoy themselves, but that doesn't interfere with others' enjoyment of the game, either. Flaming, insulting others, intentionally seeking to tilt other players, going out of your way to be annoying - all of these things will get in the way of what we're all here to do. To have fun, enjoy one another's company, and be a happy, welcoming community. We don't expect everyone to be robots, but we do hope that everyone will bear in mind this is something people do for enjoyment, to respect one another, and not to let things get out of hand while you're ruthlessly forming mobs to murder one another. So remember, keep your murder mobs pleasant, courteous, and cheerful, and have a nice day!
Alright. Then let's declare the specialty queue officially restored. We'll need to edit the hosting threads, and soon as folks submit finished setups, we can populate and fire one.
My thought was not to run them together conceptually at all. Just open up the specialty queue for business again, first-come, first serve, and leave the FTQ as is.
Our FTQ designers can either choose to put the finishing touches on their setups and jump into the specialty queue same as everyone else, or wait for the next FTQ round.
The idea was to generate more setups of this type, so having two separate queues seems to be the best way to do that. We've already tried experimenting with mashing the two together with extra FTQ firings, and kind of failed on that because we didn't have enough finished setups. In the end it just altogether reduced the number of complex and original designs we had to run.
But you do run into the issue of turning people away and/or discouraging new designs once you max out your available slots.
I think it's better not to cap them. I used to design setups with the idea that I've got to get this submitted to the specialty asap because it will take 2 years to run otherwise. Without that pressure, there's less urgency.
I also think we required at least an initial review before being granted access to the queue, which would be very helpful.
I think the FTQ still serves as an excellent way to encourage hosts to come up with creative, appealing concepts, and to highlight and feature those projects once they're ready. They can coexist.
If these are the types of games people enjoy both designing and playing, let's ramp that back up again.
I'd definitely be in favor of bringing back the specialty queue, or otherwise taking steps to increase the fire rate of our complex setups.
As mentioned, we seem to have an issue with completion of setups, which the specialty queue solved by providing a deadline. FTQ, with its immediate firings, does less to resolve that issue.
Iso's retirement from the council has left some big shoes to fill, and we're looking for folks who are interested in coming on board with some fresh energy and new ideas for directions to guide the sub going forward. If you're interested, let us know.
You're retired when we all say you're retired, damn it!
Endorse/approve.
But I also think we could do more to set the tone for our playerbase, by coming up with a set of expectations for what we consider to be good sportsmanship, and recommending that our game hosts adopt said guidelines in their OPs.
For example:
MTGS Sportsmanship Guidelines
Mafia, like any other game, is fundamentally about having fun with another group of human beings. Part of that fun comes from good, clean competition, but everyone should bear in mind that at the end of the day, no one (hopefully) is actually dying, and it's a social game. We like to encourage our players to think about how to play the game that not only allows them to enjoy themselves, but that doesn't interfere with others' enjoyment of the game, either. Flaming, insulting others, intentionally seeking to tilt other players, going out of your way to be annoying - all of these things will get in the way of what we're all here to do. To have fun, enjoy one another's company, and be a happy, welcoming community. We don't expect everyone to be robots, but we do hope that everyone will bear in mind this is something people do for enjoyment, to respect one another, and not to let things get out of hand while you're ruthlessly forming mobs to murder one another. So remember, keep your murder mobs pleasant, courteous, and cheerful, and have a nice day!
Our FTQ designers can either choose to put the finishing touches on their setups and jump into the specialty queue same as everyone else, or wait for the next FTQ round.
The idea was to generate more setups of this type, so having two separate queues seems to be the best way to do that. We've already tried experimenting with mashing the two together with extra FTQ firings, and kind of failed on that because we didn't have enough finished setups. In the end it just altogether reduced the number of complex and original designs we had to run.
I'd vote in favor of reinstituting the speciality queue, with the requirement that a first draft of the setup be reviewed prior to entry.
But you do run into the issue of turning people away and/or discouraging new designs once you max out your available slots.
I think it's better not to cap them. I used to design setups with the idea that I've got to get this submitted to the specialty asap because it will take 2 years to run otherwise. Without that pressure, there's less urgency.
I also think we required at least an initial review before being granted access to the queue, which would be very helpful.
If these are the types of games people enjoy both designing and playing, let's ramp that back up again.
As mentioned, we seem to have an issue with completion of setups, which the specialty queue solved by providing a deadline. FTQ, with its immediate firings, does less to resolve that issue.
Any changes/suggestions off the get go? Anyone?