Re: New Geleians have landed!

["Kris Ames" <kris@cioe.com>]

Hmmm...I think the biggest problem with the whole
"non-involved" issue is actually that no one is ever
totally non-involved.  If someone is a friend of someone
or is said to hate so and so or is known to not "like
players with matrix gems"  someone will call them
biased. 

In an ideal world things should have a clear enough
rule set where things don't need an arbitrator or
monitor.  In Centralia for example where every GM
was also a player, a VERY consistent set of rules
had been applied.  Every GM ruled certain issues the
same way and every player (since most were also GMs)
knew the rules as well.  People who were not Centralia
players often thought weird thing were going on with
back scratching etc, but many of these things were 
rumor or exaggeration.  In some cases people would take
an in character statement such as "I have a way to do
blah with my blah"  (which was the character lying or 
acting upon erroneous character information) and state
it as an actual fact. (i.e. So and so has a ring that lets them
do ...).  It just goes back to "the grass is always greener".
Centralia players often thought that non Centralia players had
mega items.  Once it was checked and it was found that
Centralia characters has 3.5 magic items per player where
the outside Centralia game average was 7.2.  If necessary
even I (who hasn't games consistently in over a year) can name
several mega items not given out by "Centralia" GMs.

I thing what I am trying to say, is that we need very consistent
operating parameters so that moderated rulings are not necessary
during a game or after the fact.  Pre game rulings which involve several
GMs are the ideal.  If a moderation is necessary, putting the bad guy
burden on one or two people might not be fair and someone is sure
to complain.  There are several people at AQ that I would not trust
under any circumstances to give an "impartial" ruling on anything
related to one of my characters and I thing several people would feel
the same way.

-Kris
----------
> From: Lyle H Janney <lhjanney@adpc.purdue.edu>
> To: AQ Moderators List (E-mail) <gmlist@cioe.com>
> Subject: RE: New Geleians have landed!
> Date: Tuesday, June 16, 1998 1:04 PM
> 
> Well, Pat, as one of the Senior GM's, my only concern after your
description
> (which seems reasonable to me) is that the Senior GM you spoke with had a
> character that was directly involved in the decision.  You see, that is
specifically
> why it was specified that a "non-involved" senior moderator be consulted.
 All
> of us moderators, and _especially_ the senior moderators, need to
maintain
> a detachment from the decisions we make as moderators and the things we
> do in character.  If _any_ player can look at a situation and say that
such-and-
> such moderator made such-and-such a ruling and look at how their
character
> has profited, then that moderator (and all other moderators involved)
lose a
> certain amount of credibility.  If you, Pat, had spoken with me (seeing
that my
> character did not have a vested interest in what went on with the forge)
and
> had described to me all the points you made below (with the exception of
#1),
> I would have had no problem approving your action.  I would even have
stepped
> forward to allay Dan's concerns as soon as he voiced them after he read
and
> slightly misinterpreted your posting about the forge.
> 
> This does, however, bring to front a very important issue.  That is the
issue of
> GM integrity.  Whether it happened or not, many non-Centralia players
felt
> that there was a lot of 'back-scratching' involved amongst the moderators
who
> also played in the Centralia campaign.  Heck, for that matter, I've heard
that
> the same fears arose during the original Sylvan Isles campaign, but at
least
> in that campaign, the instance of a person moderating that also had a
character
> in the setting was almost singularly unique.  In Centralia, practically
all of the
> moderators had characters in the setting and thus the public opinion was
formed
> that there must be something fishy going on.  It is for this very reason,
to help
> moderators and the various 'sub-settings' of Geleia maintain their
integrity, that
> Dan explicitly stated that whatever moderator is in charge of a
particular city/area,
> they are not to play a character in that setting.  I feel this is
justified.  I also feel
> that moderators should be very careful to not allow a questionable
situation arise;
> regardless of whether it would necessarily be appropriate for your
character to
> so something, if it can bring your integrity as a GM into question, don't
do it.  That
> is _especially_ important to Senior moderators.  I try to keep myself out
of trouble
> in that respect; I've had several characters not do something that they
would
> normally have done if they had a mind of their own; but if they had done
so, my
> position as an impartial moderator would have been compromised.  However,
> if any of you catch me doing something that could be damaging to the
integrity
> of the GM (or Senior GM) cadre, please immediately take me aside and
point it
> out.  Thanks ahead of time.
> 
> I'm certain that many of you also hold opinions, so I implore you to
speak your
> minds.  After all, this is right forum for it (as opposed to a more
public forum).
> 
> Lyle
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Patrick C. Collins [SMTP:drunsen@ecicnet.org]
> Sent:	Tuesday, June 16, 1998 8:19 AM
> To:	Daniel Lawrence
> Cc:	GMlist
> Subject:	Re: New Geleians have landed!
> 
> [...]
> 
> 1)  I discussed it with one of the campaign coordinators
> (Wright).
> 
> 2)  The steel materials are also very rare.  In order for
> Wright to manufacture steel weapons with his blacksmithing
> skill, I rolled some luck dice.
> 
> Wright has to:
> 
> a)  make 3d6 vs. weaponsmithing
> b)  spend a month of game time learning
> c)  spend 2 weeks previous helping Lonk install a forge
> d)  The steel available was sufficient to make only two
> longsword-sized weapons.  I am not going to be selling
> steel weapons on blue light special to everyone in the
> next two months.
> e)  he hasn't yet made the checks to determine if
> the weapons were of good quality...and there is no starting
> over.
> f)  Lonk is a human male, 6'3", build F...for all who wish
> to use him.  He has deep brown eyes and is bald.  He
> can usually be seen in leather smithy clothes and apron.
> He is also skilled in the greatsword (rank 12).  If
> people threaten his forge...he has friends.
> g)  If having steel available for two weapons after
> a generous luck die roll (roll 2d6..you want low...I rolled
> a one and a three) is too much, please let me know.
> 
> -Pat
> 
>