I apologize in advance for a somewhat lengthy response to the points that have been made since my previous reply.
I have no idea how this is getting so out of hand, but I will answer your concerns-this has been raising issues with myself and other members of the staff, as it has come largely out of the blue. We did not anticipate this sort of thing at all.
I can only speak for myself, but I do apologize for any sort of commotion I might have caused. That was not my intention.
However, I do not feel as if anything is "getting out of hand." I see no reason why this cannot be discussed in a polite and civilized manner. It is apparently an issue that has caused several members, myself included, to raise an eyebrow at the endeavors of the Spellhold Studios staff. While not all my fellow forum users might agree with my interpretation of this situation, I believe that I, as well as any other member, should be able to voice any opinions, questions or objections to how this community is being run. Do you not agree?
First of all, yes, there is a Play by Post campaign titled the Candlekeep Company, and yes it is exclusive to staff. However, while it is open to all interested forum staff, only a small number of staff have chosen to participate. There is no limit on the number of players per se, but in this PnP DM's opinion, the playing group has largely reached a critical mass of players/characters, so to speak. One player has dropped out, assigning control and playing of his character to another individual, and the CC DM has largely stopped playing his own character due to the demands of DM'ing the campaign.
Thank you for clarifying this point.
I do apologize for feeling the need to point out a slight flaw in what you said. The campaign is open to all staff members, of which only a small number have chosen to participate--then you say that the playing group has reached a critical mass of players. Is those two statements contradictory? What would happen, for instance, should a non-playing staff member ask to be involved in the role-playing sessions?
The comments and in-jokes expressed by myself and others were never intended to be rude or disrespectful to others. We were simply players talking about a game we play, but doing so out of context, similar to a group of DnD or video-game players discussing a game they play in the real world while in a crowded, public area. There is no disrespectful intent-they are simply talking about a game they play. I will be the first to admit my comments do tend to grow out of hand very rapidly, and this is no one's fault but my own.
Thank you for your honesty, Tempest. I truly appreciate your candidness.
I still feel slightly apprehensive towards the wide-spread flaunting of the campaign, however. People who play enjoy playing video games always have the ability to procuring a specific game, in order to be able to discuss it, while in this case, none of us outside the staff are allowed entry. Do you not think it slightly insensitive and nonchalant to wave this fact in front of our faces?
I have said before that I do not deny you the right to play this campaign, but perhaps it would be wise to not gasconade it, and instead keep it as it was meant to be--private?
The individual running the Candlekeep Campaign is doing so purely in his own spare time and because he enjoys doing so. He actively chooses to spend his time and energy helping the game play-it is not a matter of obligation that more people participate because he is willing to DM a campaign when such is difficult enough to do. He is DM'ing for the same reason we are playing-to have fun as a group of people. Yes, it may seem intimidating to board lurkers and those not involved. However, as a group of people who work together and are friends of a sort (insofar as actual friendship is possible through a medium such as an internet message board), we do tend to act as such.
I can understand the time and effort involved in leading a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, but I am very sorry to admit that I fail to see the relevance of this paragraph in this discussion.
Ilmatar is, in my opinion, a very talented artist who chooses to draw and share her work with others of her own free will. We have not asked her to draw our characters or events from our campaign-she does so because she chooses to do so, and shares them for the same reason. She did not mean to disrespect or insult anyone not involved in the PbP campaign-she simply wanted to share her artwork with people.
Oh, I do agree! Ilmatar is an exceptionally talented artist who deserves all the praise she receives--and she should probably have even more. I also understand that Play-by-Post, as well as any role-playing, can be a stupendous source of inspiration to any artist. I definitely do not want her to cease sharing her artwork with the public, but perhaps the source of the magnificent artwork could be kept somewhat hushed--if only for the sake of it not stirring up debates such as the one we have now?
We did not anticipate a reaction of this sort, and perhaps some fault is indeed on our shoulders for not making a public announcement about this earlier. No disrespect was ever intended, and we apologize for anyone who has felt they were so offended. I have not thought often about the consequences of what I post, and that is my fault alone, not of the staff as a whole, and not of Spellhold Studios as an institution.
I hope we can put this incident behind us.
Your sentiments are fully reciprocated on my behalf. Again, I wish to thank you for your honesty and eagerness to resolve the situation.
This is one of the reasons I asked whether the campaign was full; if not, do you not think it unfair to us ordinary peons to deny participation, when other campaigns are so difficult to initiate?
No offense to anyone here, but if you want to play so badly, I'd suggest you buy all the DM manuals and become a DM yourself instead of whining about why other people get shiny toys and you don't.
I really don't mean to offend anyone, but no one is automatically entitled to everything. A certain degree of elitism will always be found so long as people form groups, make friendships, and do things together. My coworkers and I alienate people when we go out to dinner because we work together and act like a group of people who know each other. This summer, several of my fellow teachers and I went on a big hiking trip. Was it unfair to the "ordinary peons" who didn't get to go and share our wonderful experiences? Yes. We put the time and effort into organizing, planning, and ultimately doing it, so we got to enjoy the hiking trip. Same principle here.
I must admit I take a bit of exception with your reply, Solstice. I perceive it, unfortunately, as slightly disrespectful, and I seriously hope this was not your intention.
As I have explained in my previous post, as well as this one, I do not wish to withhold this source of entertainment for the staff. They do an excellent job--I doubt we can fully appreciate their hard work--and if this is some sort of reward for those accomplishments, I say they fully deserve it!
Not everything is allowed to everyone--that is how life is, and I understand that completely. What I feel slightly troubled about, anyhow, is the conduct and reference of this campaign in public. Surely you did not rub the nose of anyone who was not allowed to come with you on what I am sure was a wonderful hiking trip?
I did notice that you seem to share my opinion of it being unfair, however. Perhaps our viewpoints are more similar than you originally thought?
In light of what you quoted, I would like to to clarify what I meant. The discussion, up to that point, seems to have been about a private and exclusive Play-by-Post campaign in which only Spellhold Studios staff is allowed to participate. In adding to that discussion, what berelinde--who is a Coordinator, which I perceive to be a senior staff position--effectively expressed was how difficult it is to initiate a Play-by-Post campaign. I found that statement extremely concerning, since berelinde's post could, in context of the other replies, be interpreted as haughtiness and further nose-rubbing by insinuating that "it's very difficult to start a Play-by-Post campaign, but we are alright, because we have one exclusively for the staff!" I highly doubt that is how berelinde intended it, but it is how it came across, and I view it as far beneath the position berelinde holds to say anything that could be remotely interpreted as an escalation in the high-handedness in an already sensitive topic. That is what prompted my reply.
Castor, Molly, and anyone else who has been offended by this incident, please accept my apologies. We are indeed at fault, and I hope we can put all this behind us.
As echoed previously, I hope so too. I only have a few final questions in this post I wish to have clarified before I will be content to leave the matter be.
Again, thank you for reading,
Castor
