GM Responses, Roleplay Advertising, and Party Finder - Megathread

[HyperiusUltima]

Hopefully the forum mods nip this in the bud before it becomes the new spam subject like it always happens with new forum drama.

This isn't no spam subject. Why do you think I labeled it as such? This needs to be dealt with so we don't have any more repeats of the roleplay community getting cracked down on and not the Run Sellers just because "CONTENT" when in reality it breaks the ToS with how they go about it. Counts as RMT as well since it can be Real Money involved, and most times they ask for account information so they can do it on your account.

[Darkpaw]

Online Interactions can not be rated or efficiently regulated, however everyone is conflating the issue.

The issue in the most basic terms for those who can’t deduce it on their own. Is the issues around Mordion Gaol, the GMs, and the unequal enforcement of the rules dictated in the user agreement and terms of service.

If this were the case with any other aspect of this game but RP this whole forum would be up in arms. But it’s easier to villify an entire section of the community and ostracize them then to actually discuss a greater issue. So mock, tease the RP’ers condemn them, you won’t stop them, but don’t expect them to come to your defense when this uneven enforcement of UI and TOS hits a part of the game you value.

[Penthea]

Just don’t. Erp go away.

Keep the age rating of the game in mind when advertising to the public. If whatever you're wanting to advertise MIGHT be seen as above the age rating, then please don't come crying when you get a GM nastygram.

Just because you've been getting away with it in the past doesn't mean you can keep getting away with it now.

I also want to keep the TOS situation gray so we don't have anyone evading a nastygram by skirting the line with content that shouldn't be there, no matter how pleasantly-phrased.

Once again someone has to remind you that 18+ doesn't always equate to sexual content, even if it's rp. Some people just don't want to play extensively with kids. There are players well above their 40's who play this game. We're not all just a few years out of our teens.

And why would someone not want to rp with a teen? Because frankly people in that age group tend to have less creative characters due to a lack of life experience and often just rp something that is a bunch of generic tropes. Not always, but it's pretty common from younger players. Rping with someone who does that isn't fun.

Just don’t. Erp go away.

I also want to keep the TOS situation gray so we don't have anyone evading a nastygram by skirting the line with content that shouldn't be there, no matter how pleasantly-phrased.

Also these two statements contradict each other. You claim you want things to remain grey, while having a very black and white stance on rp.

Anyway players will always try to skirt the rules no matter how grey they are because some people are just like that. That's life. The intention of this thread is to make SE give us a clearer image of what they want us to do so that people who aren't trying to skirt the rules don't get pulled into GM jail because they unwittingly caused offense. Not that you care though, given you seem to hate rpers.

[LianaThorne]

Online Interactions can not be rated or efficiently regulated, however everyone is conflating the issue.

The issue in the most basic terms for those who can’t deduce it on their own. Is the issues around Mordion Gaol, the GMs, and the unequal enforcement of the rules dictated in the user agreement and terms of service.

If this were the case with any other aspect of this game but RP this whole forum would be up in arms. But it’s easier to villify an entire section of the community and ostracize them then to actually discuss a greater issue. So mock, tease the RP’ers condemn them, you won’t stop them, but don’t expect them to come to your defense when this uneven enforcement of UI and TOS hits a part of the game you value.

And again, that's meant for the ESRB's protection, not for the player.

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I don't want to double post, so I'm adding onto here.

No one is making anyone who doesn't want to RP with 13 year olds, RP with 13 year olds. Just putting that out there. The issue is that the game is rated 13+ and you're purposefully closing off a section of the game to them and labeling it 18+. That is the issue. You cannot have 18+ sectioned off areas that engage in anything not covered by the rating in US servers. Harping that online interactions are not rated is literally irrelevant because that protection is not for the player and no matter how many times people say that, it won't change the reality. You can roleplay with 18+ people all you want, just drop the 18+ tags on the venues and allow them to be for 13+ access. That's literally it. No one is forcing anyone to rp with teenagers if they don't want to, you can literally ignore them in the venues if you want.

[Saefinn]

Note: The ERP and ToS and the Teen Rating and legal and child safety arguments have been done here extensively. I can guarantee this would just derail the thread entirely.

People, yes, automatically assume ERP here. The first time this was an issue non-ERP and non-18+ venues were being targeted too. They reversed the actions taken against the innocent and said it's fine as long as it doesn't violate ToS. And that nothing had changed. I thought that meant it was pretty clear that RP PF ads were okay.

So my question, is it just ERP or 18+ venues that are being hit? Or are regular non adult RP ads being hit? And I am talking since the community rep's intervention. I feel this distinction needs to be made explicitly clear.

Because if it's only 18+ venues, then we can get a good idea of why they're being taken down. If it's blanketly any RP venues, then it doesn't make sense and complicates it. Regardless of one agrees its a violation of the ToS it should ascertain what they're targeting.

I have no issue with people ERPing and I am pretty on the fence when it comes to advertising them on PF, I recognise the risks when it comes to minors but I defer to the GMs' handling of it, because I see arguments two ways when it comes to advertising ERP on PF and as it doesn't affect me, I have no personal stake to swing either way.


I'll also say, it's not a question of whether we think it is okay or not okay, but SE to clarify where it is to them.
And really it should boil down to 3 points:
- Whether PF advertisements for regular Teen Friendly RP is okay.
- Whether PF advertisements for 18+ RP is okay
- Whether PF advertisements for ERP is okay.

And again I feel we should clarify which of these 3 are being hit still? Is it all 3 or 2 or 1? Because the answer to that question could give a better idea to what's okay and what isn't.

[RavenEbonclaw]

It's about wanting OFFICIAL and formal clarity, and holding people to that accountability ACROSS the board as players, AND customer service representatives in an effort to dispute false claims, trolling, prosperity, and cohesion across a community, as I stated in the thread I created. There should be no grey area on this, as it then further drives things of this nature. If they don't want it, say it, be done with the scenario. In the post, I created there are multiple posts of GM conversations involving RP, ERP, ERP for gil being "OK" per GM conversations. The entire thing is null and void per those instances. Could they be edited? Sure. That's why FULL FORMAL STATEMENTS AND STANCES Must be made.

[hobostew]

Pretty sure the GM in your screenshots told you its fine so long as you keep it out of public view. IE. Shout chat, PF, and the like.

[RavenEbonclaw]

Correct. However, the entire night, the only thing done was literally standing in place on a staircase, not saying any "E" related RP, carrd information that has NO lewd imagery (simply screenshots of a venue, and a music stream. Yet they cited "privacy policy" due to their reasoning as to not providing any explanation of being sent to the Gaol. Yet I WAS sent to the gaol? I still have questions of clarification.

[hobostew]

It's their policy not to share details to keep people from working out who reported them and potentially harassing them. It doesn't matter if in this case that wouldn't be possible or if you aren't the type of person to do that. We all know there are people who do take these things too far sometimes so it isn't an unreasonable stance for SE to take.

[RavenEbonclaw]

Again, the statement is true. If it were to resort to harassment, then is this not what actual reporting, blacklists, etc are for? It's still incorrect to literally say in essence: "YOU screwed up, we're not telling you why, GL figuring it out, don't do it again."