[Request] Policy Template

[mietze]

@Caryatid would be an excellent person to get feedback from. Tagging her so she sees this!

[Sunny]

I don't think it's a good idea to have a single file called 'rules'. Too long, nobody will read, and if you want to reference a specific rule you have to spam yourself. Break them down into separate files, titled by their subject, and each is their own policy. Slap on a policy index and go.

Seriously. Do it that way, not this way. Experience speaking.

[Collective]

@Sunny said in [Request] Policy Template:

I don't think it's a good idea to have a single file called 'rules'. Too long, nobody will read, and if you want to reference a specific rule you have to spam yourself. Break them down into separate files, titled by their subject, and each is their own policy. Slap on a policy index and go.

Seriously. Do it that way, not this way. Experience speaking.

I think I have a skewed viewpoint on what constitutes 'too long', which is suddenly worrying me about running a MUSH with an original theme now.

Still, that's good advice, thanks.

[Sunny]

@Collective said in [Request] Policy Template:

@Sunny said in [Request] Policy Template:

I don't think it's a good idea to have a single file called 'rules'. Too long, nobody will read, and if you want to reference a specific rule you have to spam yourself. Break them down into separate files, titled by their subject, and each is their own policy. Slap on a policy index and go.

Seriously. Do it that way, not this way. Experience speaking.

I think I have a skewed viewpoint on what constitutes 'too long', which is suddenly worrying me about running a MUSH with an original theme now.

Still, that's good advice, thanks.

I am queen of wordy, I get it. Theme /setting files are a whole different beast than policy files. Short. Simple. Blunt. I'm awful at it, but I recognize the need. Usually I use a ghostwriter. Because wordy. But this makes me look succinct. Do not be me.

[Arkandel]

@Collective said in [Request] Policy Template:

I think I have a skewed viewpoint on what constitutes 'too long', which is suddenly worrying me about running a MUSH with an original theme now.

Most people on a MU* don't like to read unfun things. It's a fallacy people like @EmmahSue are raging about when it comes to folks not reading their descriptions, or the rooms' descriptions, or the wiki theme write-ups they took hours/days to painstakingly prepare or anything else you can name. If it's not fun it won't even be glanced at.

I'll give you two guesses about how much fun policy documents are to read.

And yes, original themes tend to not be as popular as well tried ones. That will most likely mean your game will be frequented by fewer people than if you ran a variation on something folks are used to. It's not a detriment for some ( @Coin might have something to say about that) and it is for others, but that's all it does - you might still get great players who love it, just not... as many of them.

But that's got nothing to do with a policy template either way.

[Collective]

@Arkandel said in [Request] Policy Template:

But that's got nothing to do with a policy template either way.

No, but it's useful advice, still. And yeah, I can live with fewer players as long as I snag good ones. Besides, there is an argument to be made that having a limited player base for my first project is beneficial in terms of allowing me to learn at a reasonable scale and pace.

[Thenomain]

@Collective

Some advice.

Many people here are jaded.

Many people here have played a long time.

Many people here have not run a game in a very long time.

Many people here are working on or running games.

Take every word as thoughtful advice. Even these.

Take every word as potential time-bombs from people who don't know you. Even these.

Take every word with a grain of salt. Even these.

Do what you think is right.

Do it because you think it's right.

Stick to it.

---

Sometimes I find this community to be too full of righteous pedants who can't see further than their own ideas. It drives me fucking batty.

[Tat]

In terms of 'too long', you can actually cut a lot of length out of your individual rules, too. I once had a class about designing information for students, and there were a few rules of thumb that I always keep in mind when I'm writing policy.

• People skim. This means more bullets, fewer words.
• Don't be polite. This is informative, not social. Don't say 'please' and 'thank you'.
• Write it to say what you want, edit out half the words, then cut even more. No words that are not necessary. This usually means cutting adjectives and adverbs.
• Examples only when needed for clarity.

For example, I just cut that last bullet down by about 6 words. 'Absolutely no words that are not strictly necessary' is not actually clearer than 'no words that are not necessary'. It's just prettier.

So here's an example:

Rule 5: Don’t harass, stalk or abuse other players or staff OOCly.
If somebody tells you not to bother them with OOC communications, stop. If they ask you to stop page them, stop paging them. If a staff member makes a decision you don’t like, kick it up the line to the admin, if you must, but once that staffer indicates they are done discussing the ruling, stop. Don’t use alts to do this. Don’t use your wiki page to send snarky messages. Don’t continue the dispute on channels. Just don’t.

Rule 5: Don’t harass, stalk or abuse others.
If somebody tells you not to bother them with OOC communications, stop. In cases of conflict or dispute with a staff ruling, contact admin, who will mediate.

Literally the same policy, half the words.

Sometimes examples are necessary for clarity, as in your sexual policies, but most times they are not. 'OOC communications' covers paging, wikis, and channels. In fact, having too many examples often makes your policies have less bite, because people will say 'but it wasn't listed!'

[faraday]

The template I use on my games, FWIW:

Golden Rule
Don't be a jerk. Don't cheat, harass, flame, stalk, etc. or you will be shown the door.

Don't Break the Game
Respect the theme when it comes to plots, characters and setting. Do not do things that will destroy or irrevocably disrupt the theme for others. Use common sense, and when in doubt - contact the staff.

Player-Run Plots
Every player is encouraged and empowered to run plots, large and small. Just remember the Don't Break the Game rule above. Staff will run plots, of course, but proactive players will get the most out of the game.

Staff Pledge
We will do our best to provide a sane, fair and friendly environment for you to tell your stories. Our goal is to respond to all apps and requests in under 24 hours. Staff alts are all public, and we do not spy on players.

Other blurbs include Rating, Alts, Consent, and Idle. They're just a few sentences each, so it's pretty short. Personally I prefer to read them all in one place, but that's a matter of preference.

I think lightweight policies are best. You don't need a lawbook to run a game. People won't read it anyway. Just outline your general expectations, and beyond that, use "dinner party rules". It's my dinner party. I don't need to provide each guest with a comprehensive list of unacceptable behaviors. If you're being a jerk, I will talk to you about it. If you persist in being a jerk, I will ask you to leave.

[Tat]

@faraday said in [Request] Policy Template:

Just outline your general expectations, and beyond that, use "dinner party rules". It's my dinner party. I don't need to provide each guest with a comprehensive list of unacceptable behaviors. If you're being a jerk, I will talk to you about it. If you persist in being a jerk, I will ask you to leave.

Totally agree. In fact, I find that the more rules you have, the harder it is to police things, because people become rules lawyers.

I swear the policies we use get slimmer and looser with every game we run, and most of it boils down to 'play nice with others or we'll have a chat', with a few clarifications as to what that means to us.

[Arkandel]

@faraday said in [Request] Policy Template:

I think lightweight policies are best.

There's an additional advantage in those, too, in that players are less likely to play rules lawyer with them and try to discover clever (?) loopholes.

"Oh yeah, I did play an underage character but you said 'with a birthdate more recent than' and my PC was actually born a century ago so we're good!"

Keep it simple, short and flexible.

[Collective]

I am starting to think I should just post a link to a clip of Galadriel flipping out about the One Ring in the first Lord of the Rings movie and saying 'pretty much this'.

(Not really.)

[Kanye Qwest]

@Collective Not a bad idea.

Let's be real - most people in this hobby know damn well what the expected behavior is. Treating them like children who don't understand what's wrong to do to other people without an exhaustive list of examples and scenarios isn't doing anyone any favors.

If your game has something specific that most games don't (IE the no rape policy, all about that being laid out so expectations are properly managed out the gate), note that. Then just say generally "don't be a dick. We will probably ask you not to be a dick once."

[surreality]

@Tat said in [Request] Policy Template:

• Don't be polite. This is informative, not social. Don't say 'please' and 'thank you'.

This is also important because it gives people the idea that it is optional.

"Please take out the trash tonight." <-- implies this optional, with zero consequences for not doing it.

"Take out the trash tonight." <-- not optional.

[Collective]

On this one, I am not inclined to take advice. I would rather court trouble down the road than adopt a tone that is less civil than the one I'd insist on in polite conversation. I completely understand where you are coming from and I appreciate the advice, but I'm just not that invested in coming off as a tough guy or hard case.

[Cobalt]

Darkwater had one policy:

"If it's a problem, we'll deal with it."

And then eventually a "conduct" semi-policy that outlined things like:

• Don't be touchy-feely with people you don't know are okay with it.
• Stop if someone says stop.
• No Rape where other people are forced to interact with it if they don't want to.

[Cobalt]

Here we go in fact:

----------------------------| Crime & Punishment |-----------------------------

  If it becomes an issue, it will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------| Acceptable Behavior on Blood & Citrus |-------------------

  We have a few guidelines for acceptable behavior but are all based upon
  two rules that everyone must follow:

  * Behave like an adult
  * Treat others like adults

  PG-13: All public venues, IC and OOC, are to be treated with the spirit of
  a PG-13 rating. This includes the OOC nexus, public grid locations, large
  scenes, and all non-group channels. Discussions of a gross or overtly
  sexual nature are to be avoided.

  OOC Affection: Player boundaries are not limited to the violent, but the
  intimate as well. Excitement and enthusiasm are fantastic and we encourage
  them, but please respect the virtual boundaries of strangers.

  CAVEAT: All behavior is okay if all people involved are okay with it. If
  you are in doubt, either ask or don't do it. If you are not okay with a
  situation, respectfully say so.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Well, that last file is from B&C, not DW. The original DW file also had a note about rape not being permissible unless all parties involved in the "RP" would wanted to deal with it.)

[Bobotron]

I think there's a point where there's a bit of 'blinders' on the policy stuff, particularly in certain communities throughout MU*land. I see people here saying that you don't need to define policies in the most strictest detail, but some of those polices - and people not following them -- are the very things that we bitch about on this forum. And then when it becomes a clusterfuck because there was no policy point to reference, it spirals into insanity.

From the standpoint of covering your ass as a staffer, have as much -- and as detailed -- policy as you need. If people choose not to read it and violate the policy, this is why you have stuff like a strikes/warning policy. It is not MY responsibility to make everyone read the policies; I can't force them to be reach. However, if you explicitly say 'playing here states you agree to the policies in X, Y, Z' and then they break those, you have your ass covered.

@Collective do your thang. Make your policies. You saw the link to mine; it's my expectation that that shit gets read and adhered to in order to keep the theme and setup of the game I want to run. And the environment I want to foster for players to enjoy themselves.

[Collective]

@Cobaltasaurus

I think we may have a couple of MUs in common that forged our varying levels of distrust for rape plot lines. It was amazingly common in my experience on Anitaverse MUs back in the day. And I basically told myself that if I were ever ran a place of my own, I'd just take care of the problems before they happened.

[Collective]

@Bobotron Thanks!

Some of the advice in this thread was very helpful for me. Eventually I did just that. Came up with the tone and content that worked for me after taking the best of what came up here.