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Friday, July 29, 2011

Character Race/Species

I want to stress that I am not calling anyone out or placing blame on any player, administrator, or character.

That said, there appears to have been some issue with characters of non-standard races in the MUSH. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been as actively involved as I could (and should) be - which is why we have wizards. I trust them, and I feel that everyone should. That said, I'm not hiding behind them - if there's an issue, I may not be in-game often, but I do follow my eMail.

I think that this problem has two causes. First, I never instituted race rules. I had not expected any problems, and figured that things could be dealt with as they come to light. I still prefer this approach - I'd rather have more liberties than fewer, and a laundry list of rules and restrictions (let's be honest) tends to get ignored or forgotten. Second, everyone has a different idea on what they want to do. This variety is part of what makes the roleplay experience so rich. Unfortunately, it will also lead to disagreements, which in turn can become conflict.

Which brings me to the best solution I can think of. I am the founder of Equestrian Dawn, and technically the head administrator, but I do not want to be the dictator. I want everyone to think of this as "our" MUSH, not mine. That means that we should all keep in mind a spirit of co-operation and be considerate of what others may want or believe. We should keep in mind the possible far-reaching effects of our actions, and try to keep the MUSH fun and inclusive for everyone involved. We should be prepared to compromise, and to accept - or even embrace - everyone's differences.

That said, I don't want to institute "rules." I will lay down a guideline, however. I hope everybody finds these fair and even-handed, and that they understand that I'm trying to keep things fun for everybody.

The closer to the show (and related official materials), the better. Some gaps exist within the series, and sometimes it even conflicts with itself. In that case, I think MST3K phrased it well - "It's just a show, I should really just relax." The most important thing is that we all enjoy ourselves.

I hope this resolves peacefully, and without heating emotions any further than they have been, and I apologize for problems which have already arisen.

--Scribus Caballus