Broken Dagger Channels

[Rance]

As everyone knows, there are a lot of channels associated with #Broken_Dagger -- the hospital, the meetinghouse, and the like. Just to keep with conformity and organization, some of these have new names, and we'll list them all here, just so everyone can get familiar with their new titles!

#Broken_Dagger - Everyone's familiar with this channel!

#BD_OOC - It's changed from BD*OOC to this -- and remember to keep it clean!

#BD_Hospital - This is the Rememdium Edificium, the local hospital for Myrken Wood.

#BD_Meetinghouse - This is where the Council meets, in case you've forgotten!

#Guard_Headquarters - The Order of Straka resides here!

#Myrkentown - If there's to be a hanging, or something happening within the town, this is the place for it!

#BD_Gaol - Well, it's your own fault you got locked up, man. The finest prison in all of Myrken Wood!

#BD_Outside - Got a fight you want to bring out of the Dagger to lessen confusion, or just have a roleplay to do that isn't necessarily inside of the Dagger? You're covered!

#Priory_of_Stonebrook - This is a monastery north of Myrkentown.


.. And that, friends, should be it! If there's going to be any new additions, we'll make an announcement!

[Tyralor]

For the sake of organization and conformity?

The manner in which this was done, without consultation or the request of suggestions from the players at large certainly suggests we have to conform. I had thought on previous occassions we're suppose to have some say, us players. Not be told where to go, when to go there, and what to do there. It's a very naziesque thing that's happened in my opinion, forcing us to 'conform' when there was absolutely positively nothing wrong with the way things were set out before.

You talk about the various other side channels as well, and how they're all now lined up and set in a pretty little setting. The point of the matter is that most of us players couldn't care less. The only thing this serves is to irritate people into believing that if something now happens in BD*Gaol, because that's the channel some of us prefer to use, it no longer counts as official Broken Dagger events, because it's not an official broken dagger side channel.

Does it really matter that different channels had the * (Which is a sight bit prettier and more appealing as well) and the _ to seperate the name? No it doesn't. It was probably a preference at the time of whoever decided to use it. Making up our minds for us is wrong. Making an alteration to suit the cosmetic needs of individuals is wrong. Particularly without the seeking of approval of anywhere near the majority of individuals.

I am quite aware what you're going to say. "It's gone and done now, you may as well live with it"

And that, is pure brahim crud. A certain number of individuals made the decisions. They can bloody well unmake it and set things to the way they were before the change, until such a time as this has been discussed openly and fairly by everyone.

[Linds]

I also thought that it was strange to come in one day and find that the room had been changed. Especially since I hang around enough that I would have thought I'd hear about it. And also for the fact that I hardly pay attention to the title.. pirch doesn't post it to the room as you enter. I practically missed it altogether. (And there are people who are not members of the board, and would not see the post there, either.)

I think "conformity" is a bizarre reason to change the room's name. I can't imagine more than a handful of people would use the rooms outside of the main broken dagger channel at any one time. And, if they did, it would be more of a temporary use than for continuous play. Maybe I'm wrong. But people have always seemed to manage working things outside of the BD on their own, creating a temporary room for all those involved, and then returning to the main room eventually.

Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal. And it isn't. I'm sure that I could get used to typing in an underscore rather than an asterisk. It just seems silly to make everyone who's used to it change, rather than just make everyone who's knew learn it one way. I haven't heard anyone complaining about it before.

That's just my two cents. It seemed abrupt and... unnecessary, is all.

[Carnath-Emory]

The problem arising in some cases -- in my experience -- was this.

New folks (and by this I mean players who haven't been there before) want to pop over to the Meetinghouse to join the big Judiciary furor that's about to start there. They do exactly that, and it's not until ten minutes later that they start messaging with "Hey, weren't we supposed to start a few minutes ago?" Because they'd very reasonably assumed that the channel name was BD_Meetinghouse, instead of BD*Meetinghouse.

Which is, sure, a reasonably small deal. *grins* It's just an annoyance, precisely as -- for me -- having to edit my list of channel names and replace a few *'s with _'s was an annoyance. It will turn out to be, hopefully, a helpful one... and for me, it's all a matter of continuity rather than conformity.

If the channels you were referring to were never used -- or even seldom used -- I would agree with you. But places like the Hospital, the Gaol, the Meetinghouse, for instance, have become so intrinsically a part of the environment that these days, it's not at all unusual to see two characters say: "Shall we go to the hospital?" And then cease playing in the main chan, because they have. Which I think is fantastic; heck, it's the reason that we're hoping to add new pages to the website with details on Barracks, Gaol and Hospital -- because they're not just 'offshoot channels that folks occasionally use'. They've become part of the setting and ought, from where I stand, to be recognised as just that.


...lord, that turned into a bit of a ramble. *coughs* I'm getting over-enthusiastic in my old age, I tell ya. *g*

[Tyralor]

If you're going to make it continuous, then shouldn't you change everything to say

#Broken_Dagger_OOC
#Broken_Dagger_Guard_Headquarters
#Broken_Dagger_Meetinghouse
#Broken_Dagger_Myrkentown

etc...

Surely, that would just be a few modest changes to your channel list too.

You still made no discussion, just trumped the opinion of everyone else in the channel. A spontaneous decision with little input of the group at large. Do I find this agreeable?

NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST.

Is it a good idea. It might well be. Is it going to help me? No, because I dn't maintain a channel listing as you do, so I type everything out first. Am I still going to be jonin BD*Gaol, or BD*OOC first? Yes I am.

It helps you Lex, because it's something that you noticed was irritating you. Now you've gone and switched it around so it is irritating me. That solves your problem, creates one for me. Was that your intent?

It should have been discussed first. Not simply done.

[Carnath-Emory]

My intent in this case was to explain some of the ways in this decision might be helpful to others, along with the reasons I have for supporting it. Given that the aim was to provide ease of use, particularly for newer players, I'm not quite sure how adding the entire Broken_Dagger wording in front of channel names would achieve this. *g*

What I am very sorry for is that pirch users weren't considered; I'm an ex-pirch user myself, and completely forgot that it doesn't display the topic upon entering a channel. *groans*

[Tyralor]

It's not your support for the decision that I'm against. It's the tactics that were used that came to the decision. Beyond that, a lot of people aren't generally very happy about change. Particularly sudden change when things are fine one moment, and then all of a sudden, changed the next. It's like power-hungry tactics, like modding the channel so no one can talk, or a show of power, where you display "We can do what we want"

You shut us out, without even asking us, players and members at large, if we gave a toss about the idea or not.

"Is it a good idea? Is it a bad idea? Well, I just don't know. *I* didn't have time to discuss it. I just have to live with it."

Decisions like this have been made in the past, where change is just...implemented. No warning, no polls, no discussion. Just done. And everytime it's done, there are people who step up and argue. On one such occassion, a good portion of the channel just left. Why? Because you keep us in the dark, even when the change is going to be affecting us. Now, I'm sorry Lex, cause I know it wasn't your idea, and you're sort of put in a bad spot as a result of this, and frankly, I'm not really against the idea. It will make things easier to some degree, though you really should use a bit of further continuity and include BD in front of everything. Rather than half the channels. If you're going to go there, why stop half way?

What I'm against is the forcing of the issue upon everyone. Without warning, without an explanation, without a discussion.

I just don't think that was fair to any of the patrons who come to the Dagger.

Good in the long run? Well, it's got continuity now...which, is still conformity too...It won't make a difference really. Just a channel name. But what if you'd changed #Broken_Dagger to #LexikinsLambchop_Playalong ? I don't think you'd have too many people happy there either. You should consult us before doing things!

<shakes fist in random directions>

[Rattrap]

I don't get it.

It's a room change.

Channel...

A whopping change in a character.

...

Does it really make a difference?

[Rance]

The way I honestly see it, without hiding behind euphemisms...

If people are upset about a slight name change -- no matter who they are -- then really, find something else to be upset about? Changing the names of the channels was not meant in any way, shape, or form as, "Well, we intend to power-monger absolutely everything, and this will be the first taste they'll have of the most utmost-superior-dictatorship-conformity-bow-to-your-Ops phase the Dagger has ever gone through!"

We could have consulted people right then and there as to whether it would have been a good idea, but we would have only consulted the people currently logged on, no?

We're changing the channel where the Ops converse as well, for the sake of organization. It was not meant to bully people about or swing the fist of the collective op in tyranny. It was meant to make things less confusing for newcomers and a bit easier for those already here.

We've had to make changes as well -- there was a good two hours of work by all of the ops put into this decision, and we had to be sure we thought it would be beneficial before even starting.

Again, we apologize if it made everyone feel like they were under the thumb. That wasn't intented at all.

[Tyralor]

Apology Accepted.

Don't do it again.

[Mongrel]

Well, the intentions of the Ops are and always have been to make the Dagger an enjoyable, yet organized place to roleplay. The decisions that we make are intended for the prosperity of the channel and not for upsetting the people who participate in it. There are certain decisions that we make and will continue to make as facilitators of this forum. And, unfortunately, people aren't always going to agree with those decisions...or the decision making process. I assure you that we take our roles seriously and we only do what we feel is in the best interest of the channel and its players in the long run.

So, unfortunately, this may happen again. I am sorry that you were upset by it...obviously that is never our hope or intention. You are welcome to and encouraged to continue to share your feelings on this subject and others in the future. It is your right...and we feel that that is very important. We appreciate what you have said and will consider it during our decision-making processes in the future.

Thanks.