Fixing rumours, once and for all

[Puciek]

I am tired of the ooc hatemill that rumours are, there is no arguing that this awesome system devolved into this right now, and it does very little else with most people afraid to post a rumour because, well, it will turn into that.

And the solution is simple: rumour promotes can no longer be representing your characters view. New rumours can only spread your view directly with your character set as the source, which can be easily discovered via RPA. Almost all of hatemill promotes are not something that general population would say, like calling a popular (by metrics) GI a heretic, or entrenched Justiciar a slob who does nothing (while lawfulness metric is at superb to add that kicker). In short, if an average citizen of lithmore (or whatever the circle is) would no go up to that person the rumour is about and say what the promote/ rumour says, it cannot be a valid promote.

If you icly dislike someone and want to pick on them (in a way that doesn't align with popular opinion), pick on them icly and face possible consequences. If you don't want to do that because of the risk, then don't mask it as rumors/promotes.

[Kuzco]

The lack of IC risk for promotes is what keeps people abusing it.
Make them trackable via RPA or disable the rumor command for repeated offenders.
But I'm with you, it's annoying and tiring and makes me not want to check rumors at all.

[Puciek]

The vast majority of those promotes you want to trace should not happen in the first place, as no one icly would openly say what they are saynig. Per help policy rumor:

Unthematic rumors are rumors that just physically could never be said
in a world like TI, not things that you disagree with or find offensive.

Not a single Lithmore citizen would call GI a heretic, even one with neutral standing would still not be called like that in public unless they have actually seen him commit heresy, and even then it will be doubtful. Hell, almost no one would challenge lords and nobility on anything, as by the theme they are short to redeem their noble rights, line up the naggers and whip them into more sense.

If your PC is unique enough to do that, go and do it either in person or via IC news.

[kipperialovskii]

Existing policy forces people to abide by metrics in rumors. If someone speaks out against the GI, it should be during a time of extreme strife, or be in the 'manus' column of rumors.

It is perfectly fine, for example, for rumors to attack a Lord right now, because class relations is so low that the last time it was this low we had an entire riot where NPC gentry were killed, and nobility were threatened.

If a rumor does not abide by this, report it. This includes comments.

[kipperialovskii]

I also find that this solution would curb anyone willing to spread news about something that should be obviously commented on by vNPCs. Forcing a name on -everything- just means you can negate negative marks against your status. I find that honestly a more OOC option, especially if it's just regaling things that obviously happened. For example: Choosing to ignore the NPC crowd and walk through a public room stark naked. Yes, there's only one PC there, so you OOC'ly know who saw you, but it's also a case of it being entirely silly to think that that one person would start the rumor as opposed to the hundred people that just saw your ankle.

As it stands, to frame someone for treason, or to mudsling without a ramp to go off of, requires a cnote, and your name being attached.

If a name isn't attached to something via RPA, then it's a rumor that reasonably couldn't be tracked, because there's others who would say it. Simple as cheese. If it's not themely, then report it, and get a response from staff.

[Puciek]

I struggle to see how it would curb news spreading, especially as the only change is, and I quote myself: "the solution is simple: rumour promotes can no longer be representing your characters view.". You can still submit rumors that represent view of the crowd that seen a crime, or anything noteworthy. But not use rumors as excuses for hatemill.

And no, low-class relations doesn't give you blanket ammunition to ignore support for guildleaders as that incorporates the view of ENTIRE population, not just those of one class or guild. So if someone is entrenched at pathetic relations, then he is entrenched still. You can attack nobility in general, make up bad stuff about them, and then nobility may round up random freemen and whip them for the sake of it, but it's not a blanket invitation to vent out personal unthematic attacks on any different-class person you don't like under the guise of rumours.

And if you think that reportin solves it, well, it didn't solve it for last 8 months when it went from being fun and engaging way to emulate the world to just random anonymout hatemill. And that won't suddenly change.

[Rabek]

Rumors are not an OOC hatemill.

They are safe from RPA because otherwise nobody would ever use the system.

Rumors can be vicious. That is a reality of life and Lithmore. Don't take them personally.

Honestly, rumors used to advertise peoples' businesses bother me more. I shouldn't have to pay to read an advertisement.

[Spoops]

I actually thought rumors have been pretty tame lately. I guess I don't pay enough attention to them.

Support and metrics in general are such an odd and unreliable system, I don't think the occasional 'unreasonable' comment does much harm. And if they're extremely out there, it's probably something to be handled on an individual basis.

[kipperialovskii]

If the rumor has been reported for clear reasons, then you have your answer. Somehow it's fair game. During the period of time when it was being abuse, the rumors were being frequently reported and put down.

Immediately saying, however, that something is a breach of IC/OOC boundaries is something to speak to staff directly about. It's a problem outside of the norm, and should be handled as such. During the time in which the rumor has been put on suspension, you can voice your concerns through a pboard to the staff members that handle it.

The comment was about your wording. If we can't reflect our character's view, then it would almost be entirely moot for players playing more straightlaced characters to even comment on how the society on the large would react to something. For example, someone shows off their ankle. Obviously, being a largely lithmorran populace, that's aggregious. ... So why should I be limited to catcalling the person, or saying 'whatever'?

Yes. Metrics in on themselves, especially lawfulness and piety, determines things like TRUST in the organizations they represent. You may like the President, but that doesn't mean that you expect them to start enforcing things, or deal with their underlings. If it's low, you've failed to amass public support into the organization as a whole-- Or are seen as inefficient. Again, if you believe it to be an OOC mouth-off, take it up with staff. There's nothing wrong with reporting rumors.

[AlwaysShunny]

I'm with Spoops. If this were a few months ago, when the rumors were really toxic and just a constant back and forth between ostensibly two anonymous people, then I'd be for this change. But I haven't seen anything extremely vitriolic as of late. I do think that rumors in general have been worse than they have been in the past, and that the system should be removed altogether.