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Valg · 10-26-2003, 01:48 AM

I'll begin by saying that we are roleplay-enforced, and that one of our primary rules is that all mortal-mortal interaction is done In Character. Immortal-mortal interaction is usually In Character also, except in cases like rules violations, bug reports, applying to join the staff, etc.

As such, the only reason an Immortal has to observe a mortal is to monitor roleplaying quality, and to make sure the rules are being followed. If any Immortal was approaching mortals about OOC stuff like selling stuff or asking for personal info, they'd be disciplined and probably demoted or removed outright. Also, any information they gather while observing is kept to the staff, except for IC consequences like a special reward for good roleplay, like when a character becomes known by a customized title, or they are elevated to a leadership position of one of our organizations.

If you care about maintaining a fair playing field (especially for a game like ours where there is a strong competitive element), you have to watch for cheating, and the only way to watch for cheating is to do it unannounced. Likewise, it's very useful to observe someone's roleplay when they least suspect anyone is watching.

Since these two things are a huge part of running our game, and everything you're supposed to be doing is In Character anyway, and we're providing a rather sophisticated game for free.... I don't feel we're legally or morally obligated to obtain permission to observe player characters. We freely admit this up front, and I've never received a complaint from a player about it. Actually, the usual complaint we get through our feedback mechanisms is that players want us to pay more attention, since they like the special interactions and rewards that stem from it.

If you run a game where you cross over into OOC, I agree that there might be additional complications. Once things are OOC and they have nothing to do with IC actions, I don't think your authority as a staff member makes it right for you to collect privileged information. At the very least, I think you'd want to put a disclaimer in your login message or an easily accessible helpfile, so people know they might be being observed.

10-26-2003, 01:48 AM	#8
Valg Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Home MUD: Carrion Fields Posts: 643	I'll begin by saying that we are roleplay-enforced, and that one of our primary rules is that all mortal-mortal interaction is done In Character. Immortal-mortal interaction is usually In Character also, except in cases like rules violations, bug reports, applying to join the staff, etc. As such, the only reason an Immortal has to observe a mortal is to monitor roleplaying quality, and to make sure the rules are being followed. If any Immortal was approaching mortals about OOC stuff like selling stuff or asking for personal info, they'd be disciplined and probably demoted or removed outright. Also, any information they gather while observing is kept to the staff, except for IC consequences like a special reward for good roleplay, like when a character becomes known by a customized title, or they are elevated to a leadership position of one of our organizations. If you care about maintaining a fair playing field (especially for a game like ours where there is a strong competitive element), you have to watch for cheating, and the only way to watch for cheating is to do it unannounced. Likewise, it's very useful to observe someone's roleplay when they least suspect anyone is watching. Since these two things are a huge part of running our game, and everything you're supposed to be doing is In Character anyway, and we're providing a rather sophisticated game for free.... I don't feel we're legally or morally obligated to obtain permission to observe player characters. We freely admit this up front, and I've never received a complaint from a player about it. Actually, the usual complaint we get through our feedback mechanisms is that players want us to pay more attention, since they like the special interactions and rewards that stem from it. If you run a game where you cross over into OOC, I agree that there might be additional complications. Once things are OOC and they have nothing to do with IC actions, I don't think your authority as a staff member makes it right for you to collect privileged information. At the very least, I think you'd want to put a disclaimer in your login message or an easily accessible helpfile, so people know they might be being observed.