# ENWorld moderators are a joke



## The Shaman (Jul 27, 2006)

A few weeks back I posted a comment that game masters who didn't account for the possibility of character death in their encounter designs were "nitwits." The post was edited by *Umbran* and I was told that insulting other posters, even in general without specific reference to any individual poster, was outside of the site Code of Conduct.

Yesterday the following post appeared on the *General RPG* board:







			
				An ENWorld regular said:
			
		

> CAUTION: *Unapologetic Snark Below*
> 
> I would abandon this game in a heartbeat if I had to emulate fantasy literature. *What kind of boring old fart wants to do that?* No, I want to emulate flashy graphics and stirring quests of videogames, where heroes can be shown and not just described on the page! And since I'm the one with the disposable income, no family, no rent, all my food provided for me....guess who is voting more often with their gaming dollar? Guess who WotC is going to court? *Cheap old farts who "know the value of a dollar" so well they refuse to spend it*, or punk kids like me who like spikey hair and pierced paladins and pokemon and who spend more to get it? Kids with soccer practice and play practice and part-time jobs and hours of homework who don't have time to sit around alone in a room reading the monster manual like some sort of cloistered nerd-child. The question isn't "which design philosophy should WotC have?" It's "Which design philosophy are they being PAID to MAKE?" You want your precious purple unicorns and mysogynist barbarians to be the wave of the future? The moment some old Conan novel sells more than the latest manga from _Shonen Jump_, or can bring in more income than a month's subscription to WoW, you'll get it. 'Till then, *you're just angry penniless hobos, missing an arm from the War, who refuse to accept that the past is dead and never coming back* and the future of gaming belongs to adventure stories, not dungeon crawls, and that doesn't mean it's dumb or juvenile or simplistic.



(Emphasis added.)

I hit the "report post" twice and then later e-mailed two of the admins regarding the post and the overall quality of the moderators on the site. I received a "we'll look into it" reply from *Piratecat*, but when I looked back at the thread this morning, the post was still there. (As much as I agree with the poster's sentiment, the way it was expressed is wholly inappropriate, if indeed "general" taunts and insults are not tolerated under the CoC.)

I have no problem with the CoC on the site, and if I've stepped over the line with a post I expect to be called on it, but I'm pissed off by the blatant double-standard displayed by the moderators. I've reported one poster something like a dozen times for rude comments directed at myself and others, but I was told by *Umbran* via e-mail that the poster in question was "mostly harmless," and no action was taken, ever.

If you're going to have a Code of Conduct, it should apply consistently to all posters. The current crop of moderators make a mockery of consistency and fairness. I'm tired of asking that the rules be applied fairly, and I'm tired of the lack of response from the site admins. Asking through channels hasn't generated timely action - perhaps bringing this up here will, though I seriously doubt it.


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## Crothian (Jul 27, 2006)

So, who's the poster?


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## Teflon Billy (Jul 27, 2006)

Oh please...

Come on man, they are volunteers who try to ride herd on the 20-odd thousand members EN World has.

And you think that because _one_ guy, in _one_ instance, wasn't treated exactly the same way you were...the Mods are "A joke"?

If you are taking money for a pool, give me ten bucks on "The Mods have spoken to him privately, told him not to do it again, but have left the offending post for the sake of 'Continuity of Discussion'", assuming that pool slot isn't already taken.

He didn't insult anyone personally, he insulted a viewpoint some people hold. If there was no previous history of insulting behaviour, I don't know that the hammer needed to be brought down.

I'll agree that there have been instances of the mods letting stuff slide for one guy over and over...this however, with the infor you've provided, doesn't seem to be one of those instances.


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## The Shaman (Jul 27, 2006)

Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> And you think that because _one_ guy, in _one_ instance, wasn't treated exactly the same way you were...the Mods are "A joke"?



Actually, it's happened quite a few times, and this was the straw that busted my hump.







			
				Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> He didn't insult anyone personally, he insulted a viewpoint some people hold. If there was no previous history of insulting behaviour, I don't know that the hammer needed to be brought down.



I don't believe this was a singular instance - in any case, to post that a "general" insult is not acceptable and then to leave this up is inconsistent and contradictory.







			
				Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> I'll agree that there have been instances of the mods letting stuff slide for one guy over and over...this however, with the infor you've provided, doesn't seem to be one of those instances.



Again, I'm pretty sure that this particular poster has been censored before, but I'm not really sure that matters: is a general insult made toward a group of people acceptable, or not? The messages are conflicting.

And as you noted, some posters get a free pass repeatedly. I think that pisses on everyone else who gets held to the CoC.


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## The Shaman (Jul 27, 2006)

One more thing...







			
				Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> Come on man, they are volunteers who try to ride herd on the 20-odd thousand members EN World has.



They accepted the responsibility, so they should be held accountable, volunteers or not.


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## Teflon Billy (Jul 27, 2006)

The Shaman said:
			
		

> One more thing...They accepted the responsibility, so they should be held accountable, volunteers or not.




Feh

I wouldn't criticize a Salvation Army guy for "not ringing his bell loud enough", neither would I bitch out people who offered to help me move into my new apartment for not working hard enough.

Volunteers get a lot of slack with me.


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## Teflon Billy (Jul 27, 2006)

Except Umbran...fire that guy's ass


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## Einan (Jul 27, 2006)

Would you like some cheese with your whine?

Einan


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## diaglo (Jul 27, 2006)

Crothian said:
			
		

> So, who's the poster?



Kamikaze Midget


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## reveal (Jul 27, 2006)

Dear The Shaman,

If you are looking for a place to vent, Circus Maximus is here for ya buddy.

Your friends at CM.


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## Belen (Jul 27, 2006)

The Shaman said:
			
		

> A few weeks back I posted a comment that game masters who didn't account for the possibility of character death in their encounter designs were "nitwits." The post was edited by *Umbran* and I was told that insulting other posters, even in general without specific reference to any individual poster, was outside of the site Code of Conduct.
> 
> Yesterday the following post appeared on the *General RPG* boardEmphasis added.)
> 
> ...




Dude...come join us at the Circvs.  We do not need no stinkin' mods there and you'd be a great addition: http://www.circvsmaximvs.com/forum.php

I have almost given up ENW for the place.  Come.  Join us.


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## The Shaman (Jul 27, 2006)

reveal said:
			
		

> Dear The Shaman,
> 
> If you are looking for a place to vent, Circus Maximus is here for ya buddy.
> 
> Your friends at CM.



That's the thing, *reveal* - that's exactly what I'm not looking for. I like the fact that there are (supposed to be) limits on snarkiness on ENWorld - it improves the chances of actually being able to discuss a topic without the ungodly amounts of interweb rancor. The problem that I have is that what's good for one should be good for all under the CoC, and more and more that doesn't seem to be the case. It's disappointing.


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## Belen (Jul 27, 2006)

The Shaman said:
			
		

> That's the thing, *reveal* - that's exactly what I'm not looking for. I like the fact that there are (supposed to be) limits on snarkiness on ENWorld - it improves the chances of actually being able to discuss a topic without the ungodly amounts of interweb rancor. The problem that I have is that what's good for one should be good for all under the CoC, and more and more that doesn't seem to be the case. It's disappointing.




Shaman...you are golden then as long as you do not enter the Senate.  Trust me.  The place is a lot better, especially if you are having mod issues.


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## Michael Morris (Jul 27, 2006)

Shaman, if you have a problem or grievance with the mods it's probably best to discuss them privately with the mods. If you do feel that a thread needs to be started at least do us all the courtesy of choosing a more tactful and polite title.

This thread has nowhere constructive left to go, so it's naptime.


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## Henry (Jul 27, 2006)

Shaman... thank you first of all for e-mailing me and Kevin this morning.

Second, Thank you also for not reading the FAQ, and calling out a mod in public.

Third, the fact that something wasn't done on it to your satisfaction, WHEN you wanted it, might have as much to do with me JUST NOW seeing it in my mailbox, having to be called away to my job in multiple instances, and also dealing with some personal business in my life just now. Kevin and the other mods may well be having similar situations keeping them from looking into it. Also, telling me WHERE TO FIND the post you were upset about when you complained would have been a good call.

Fourth, a lot of things we handle in private, and put general warnings in threads. YOU weren't the only one getting reprimanded in the threads. And then, someone calls us out in public and we have to drag it out for all to see.

Fifth, sorry for the three day suspension for violating the rules not ONCE, but TWICE in a row.

Sixth, people are getting me REALLY TOO PISSED to be an Admin right now.

Bye,


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