New Plan (Was Re: A note from)

[Steve Ames <steve@ns1.cioe.com>]

> I have already written on the dwindling population of newbies.  This is
> absolutely a source of the thinning of the club.  Your claims have no
> substantiation without revealing credible sources.  I am starting to get
> angered now by your constant beligerance and condemnation.  We can point
> fingers and accuse, and that is exactly how people get wrong ideas about
> players and characters (watches of time stop, swords of all the Tor
> drills).  We do not need a negative voice in the club to constantly
> critisize just for the sake of disagreemant.  You are going to have to be
> a little more credible about your accusations or I am no longer going to
> entertain discourse that is just endless bickering.

Don't Moderate Angry... should be a slogan. I've stated for years if
anyone has a problem with me, approach me and talk about it. A few
people have taken me up on that. Those with (IMHO) the biggest
problems never have. *shrug* We have got to me one of the most truly
pathetic groups ever assembled. I've had self righteous GMs shut down
entire plot lines of mine based on player rumor (Dan, Lyle?). I've had 
accusations of cheating, GM impartiality, etc... Not once has anyone b
othered to confirm before acting. Pathetic. If were going to start 
having a positive image we have to start acting like adults ourselves.
That means shit like I mention above CANNOT be allowed to happen. We 
can't act on rumors or allow ourselves to be swayed by them. Thats
hardly impartial (and we all claim that title don't we?). Is it any
wonder, with stuff like this happening, that people start to develop
some hard feelings?

A few of us try to rise above this mold and confront stuff headon and
are branded troublemakers and negative voices. That is the voice of
fear. No one likes being wrong. There are very, very few GMs that
I would trust to be impartial. If I believe that (being a GM) how do
you believe players feel? We have no respect for one another. This
constant bickering and name calling pretty much demonstrates that. It
would seem that a game designed for 12 year olds would be fine being
run by children. Seems not. We have to grow up.

Dan feels attacked by every statement. Lyle maybe is attacked by
every statement. We create hierarchies of GMs and set one of us
higher than others. This is insanity. Someone explains there belief
behind a rule and are accused of being a munchkin instead of a role
player. Is this the way to remove hard feelings and acheive progress?

I think this thread should be dropped. No good will come of it.
If people don't want to discuss rules, that's cool. Personally I'd
rather discuss stuff in private anyway. Then maybe just bring up
suggestions and not allow for debate. Bring them up in meetings
where people can't hide smugly behind electrons. Jevan was upset
that "move through" got nearly pushed through in a day. At June's
GM meeting a whole hell of a lot more got pushed through in 20
minutes.

I would suggest that we cannot bring up a topic and vote on it
in the same meeting. No railroading, no fasttrack. The topics for
voting should be sent out a few days ahead of the meetings and
anything to be voted on should be distributed on paper the
meeting before hand. A GM is someone who GMs at least once per
semester. Lets track that. This encourages people to GM and
cuts off some people who just want to argue. The GM schedule for
the next two weeks should be determined at these meetings which
I suggest we hold every two weeks starting with this coming
saturday. Anyone who wants to can bring anything in (in writing
with enough copies for all present) and request it be voted on
the following meeting.

I think these are simple guidelines and will let us operate in
a more structured environment. The semester just started lets
start taking attendance. Until we nomintate and vote someone
else in, I'll keep track of who has moderated. Since this is
the first semester of tracking we'll remember back to last 
week and anyone else who wants to stay for the meeting will
put themselves on this semester's GM schedule. I'll post the
schedule at http://www.aquest.com/~steve/sched.html

The quickest way to get things neatened up is to put in some guidelines 
for us, as GMs, to follow. Is this agreeable? If so we just schedule
GM meetings so that we have:

1) Discussion on voting topics
2) Voting
3) Handing out proposals for next meeting discussion/voting
4) Discussion of ongoing plotlines.

Number four is a biggie. I think it'll help to ease tension if
everyone knows where things are and were they're going.

See everyone Saturday at 6PM?

						-Steve