Hey Freedom, this is going to be a major announcement, and we recommend reading it fully and carefully.
With the Holiday Break starting now, the Staff has a little more time to dedicate to not frantically trying to stop everything setting on fire. As a product of that, we are considering a few changes we could make to potentially make it easier on people to RP more spontaneously and with less restrictions.
We’ve decided to start with a trial of the most liberal system we are considering. What this entails, simply put, is raising the bar considerably on what needs a CtS/staff approval. We’ll go into more depth of what does still require staff approval later, but to summarise, unless specifically told by the staff that you should do otherwise, nobody will be expected to make a CtS for storylines that don’t have major lore implications, for loot that isn’t major and for character/class concepts that aren’t entirely outlandish.
This does mean we are placing a great deal of trust in you, the playerbase, to moderate yourselves and not use this as an opportunity to go absolutely wild. The lore is still the lore, and common sense is still common sense. If individuals abuse this trust we are giving to do things that are unacceptable, the staff will step in to potentially punish those responsible, retcon the situation, and remove the culprit from this new system - effectively blacklisting them so they have to gain approval for everything the current system would require. It would be messy and unpleasant for you and for us. If there is a great deal of trouble as a result of this trial, then the trial can be ended at any time and we may consider other options. Obviously, we want to be able to trust you all, and ideally this will make everyone’s life easier and happier, but it does put a great emphasis on individual responsibility. If you are unsure if what you’re doing is crossing the line, then you should definitely consult with us beforehand.
With that in mind, we will go into more depth on what does cross the line now. We reserve the right to amend this list, and it should be treated as much as a guideline as a strict ruleset. Just because something isn’t listed, doesn’t mean it's free game if common sense says it's dodgy.
You should still look for staff approval if the RP you wish to run includes:
-Major lore implications - Anything involving the Titans, Naaru, the Emerald Dream, directly related to the Old Gods, defecting to another faction etc.
-Major lore characters - Faction leaders, Leading/High-ranked figures in major organisations and otherwise ‘very important’ individuals/entities (Celestials, Naaru, Wild Gods, Loa, Titanic Constructs, Elemental Lords etc.)
-Major Custom lore - Making up that the barkeeper at Goldshire knows your character isn’t a big deal. Inventing a whole new kind of magic, that you’re the leader of a major military, civil or religious organisation, that you’re the descendant of Azshara, or altering existing lore in a significant way (An existing settlement changing ownership, altering the overall status quo in a zone, destroying the entirety of x) is a big deal.
-Canonical NPCs and Quests - ‘Rares’, Retail Questlines, World Bosses. As before, these just need to be claimed via CtS, you don’t need to give a plan for how you’ll do them, but you do need to claim them so we can mark them off.
-Structures or changes to the in-game world that are intended to be permanent (Bases, camps, houses) and/or aren’t ordinarily present at the location (It's fine to spawn saberon in a saberon camp without asking. It's not fine to spawn a permanent occupying guard garrison in the same saberon camp without mentioning it) If we find a build in the world that we weren’t informed about and is older than a few days, we will be investigating, and action may be taken depending on the circumstances.
-Major Promotions - Getting a major officer rank in a canon organisation (Alliance, Horde, Cenarions, Crusade etc.), becoming a recognised Archmage, Archdruid, High Divinist, Champion of x, etc.
-Major Loot - This is a harder one to define as the line is highly blurred. As it stands this is already a highly blurred area. Characters are already able to create items if they have the skill in the right profession ICly, and players can already hand out mundane and more minor magic items without permission. What this change means is that the bar is higher. What it doesn’t mean is that you should now hand out loot like candy, just because you can. If we see a flood of loot, or unreasonable effects, we will be intervening very rapidly.
To try to frame the context, before you could hand out a flaming sword as loot without saying anything. Now it could also shoot fireballs, or cover you in a cloak of immolation, or give you resistance to fire as well. But it couldn’t create a massive firestorm, or make you immune to all fire. Anything on the level of a lore item or a mid-upper tier Raid item is still application level.
Also consider part of the reason the staff reviews loot is because oftentimes people are not experienced in writing loot that is clear, concise and fits the medium. You should still consider submitting your loot for review if you aren’t confident in its structure, or you think it might be ‘too powerful’. As always, the counter-attack system is off-limits unless otherwise stated.
For Storytellers, this greater freedom does of course also apply to you guys. But, as you have the powers to more greatly affect the world, we will be expecting to be able to understand at least to a basic level what you’re doing through your Storyteller Report. That does mean you might need to add a little more detail than you’re currently doing if you’ve been on the more lax side. ‘Did an event this day’ might not be good enough anymore.
In Closing, we will re-emphasise that this is an exercise in trust. Please do not abuse it. This is us giving people more liberties, If you do walk the line and fall foul, you will thereafter have to work on the same system we’ve always used. Do not complain if you have this new freedom rescinded. If you find anything about this announcement unclear or ambiguous, ask. If you aren’t sure if something is kosher, ask. If you’re newer and haven’t got a feel for what’s normal or acceptable, err on caution and ask. If you’re a returning player and have a history with us or aren’t sure how much things have changed, ask. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a giant formal CtS, but talk to us. This will work much better if we keep communication open between you, the playerbase, and we the staff.
With the Holiday Break starting now, the Staff has a little more time to dedicate to not frantically trying to stop everything setting on fire. As a product of that, we are considering a few changes we could make to potentially make it easier on people to RP more spontaneously and with less restrictions.
We’ve decided to start with a trial of the most liberal system we are considering. What this entails, simply put, is raising the bar considerably on what needs a CtS/staff approval. We’ll go into more depth of what does still require staff approval later, but to summarise, unless specifically told by the staff that you should do otherwise, nobody will be expected to make a CtS for storylines that don’t have major lore implications, for loot that isn’t major and for character/class concepts that aren’t entirely outlandish.
This does mean we are placing a great deal of trust in you, the playerbase, to moderate yourselves and not use this as an opportunity to go absolutely wild. The lore is still the lore, and common sense is still common sense. If individuals abuse this trust we are giving to do things that are unacceptable, the staff will step in to potentially punish those responsible, retcon the situation, and remove the culprit from this new system - effectively blacklisting them so they have to gain approval for everything the current system would require. It would be messy and unpleasant for you and for us. If there is a great deal of trouble as a result of this trial, then the trial can be ended at any time and we may consider other options. Obviously, we want to be able to trust you all, and ideally this will make everyone’s life easier and happier, but it does put a great emphasis on individual responsibility. If you are unsure if what you’re doing is crossing the line, then you should definitely consult with us beforehand.
With that in mind, we will go into more depth on what does cross the line now. We reserve the right to amend this list, and it should be treated as much as a guideline as a strict ruleset. Just because something isn’t listed, doesn’t mean it's free game if common sense says it's dodgy.
You should still look for staff approval if the RP you wish to run includes:
-Major lore implications - Anything involving the Titans, Naaru, the Emerald Dream, directly related to the Old Gods, defecting to another faction etc.
-Major lore characters - Faction leaders, Leading/High-ranked figures in major organisations and otherwise ‘very important’ individuals/entities (Celestials, Naaru, Wild Gods, Loa, Titanic Constructs, Elemental Lords etc.)
-Major Custom lore - Making up that the barkeeper at Goldshire knows your character isn’t a big deal. Inventing a whole new kind of magic, that you’re the leader of a major military, civil or religious organisation, that you’re the descendant of Azshara, or altering existing lore in a significant way (An existing settlement changing ownership, altering the overall status quo in a zone, destroying the entirety of x) is a big deal.
-Canonical NPCs and Quests - ‘Rares’, Retail Questlines, World Bosses. As before, these just need to be claimed via CtS, you don’t need to give a plan for how you’ll do them, but you do need to claim them so we can mark them off.
-Structures or changes to the in-game world that are intended to be permanent (Bases, camps, houses) and/or aren’t ordinarily present at the location (It's fine to spawn saberon in a saberon camp without asking. It's not fine to spawn a permanent occupying guard garrison in the same saberon camp without mentioning it) If we find a build in the world that we weren’t informed about and is older than a few days, we will be investigating, and action may be taken depending on the circumstances.
-Major Promotions - Getting a major officer rank in a canon organisation (Alliance, Horde, Cenarions, Crusade etc.), becoming a recognised Archmage, Archdruid, High Divinist, Champion of x, etc.
-Major Loot - This is a harder one to define as the line is highly blurred. As it stands this is already a highly blurred area. Characters are already able to create items if they have the skill in the right profession ICly, and players can already hand out mundane and more minor magic items without permission. What this change means is that the bar is higher. What it doesn’t mean is that you should now hand out loot like candy, just because you can. If we see a flood of loot, or unreasonable effects, we will be intervening very rapidly.
To try to frame the context, before you could hand out a flaming sword as loot without saying anything. Now it could also shoot fireballs, or cover you in a cloak of immolation, or give you resistance to fire as well. But it couldn’t create a massive firestorm, or make you immune to all fire. Anything on the level of a lore item or a mid-upper tier Raid item is still application level.
Also consider part of the reason the staff reviews loot is because oftentimes people are not experienced in writing loot that is clear, concise and fits the medium. You should still consider submitting your loot for review if you aren’t confident in its structure, or you think it might be ‘too powerful’. As always, the counter-attack system is off-limits unless otherwise stated.
For Storytellers, this greater freedom does of course also apply to you guys. But, as you have the powers to more greatly affect the world, we will be expecting to be able to understand at least to a basic level what you’re doing through your Storyteller Report. That does mean you might need to add a little more detail than you’re currently doing if you’ve been on the more lax side. ‘Did an event this day’ might not be good enough anymore.
In Closing, we will re-emphasise that this is an exercise in trust. Please do not abuse it. This is us giving people more liberties, If you do walk the line and fall foul, you will thereafter have to work on the same system we’ve always used. Do not complain if you have this new freedom rescinded. If you find anything about this announcement unclear or ambiguous, ask. If you aren’t sure if something is kosher, ask. If you’re newer and haven’t got a feel for what’s normal or acceptable, err on caution and ask. If you’re a returning player and have a history with us or aren’t sure how much things have changed, ask. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a giant formal CtS, but talk to us. This will work much better if we keep communication open between you, the playerbase, and we the staff.