Okay... this is a complicated topic, and I'm sure this is going to be wordy. So firstly, I'll try to be clear about the CtR Guidelines specifically regarding lore spoilers in gchat.
TL;DR -- There are none.
We do this for a reason. We expect people to be reasonable. I know -- in a game? Yep. We also expect all that C-T-R credo stuff from you guys too.
Our stance, as a guild, is that talking about in game lore currently playable to all is... okay! Talking about lore that has been discussed by the developers at Blizzard is okay too. We should all feel free to explore our known universe without feeling like someone will jump on us if we talk about anything (more on that below).
But let me weigh this with my personal thoughts... just to make sure we're all on the same page.
If people are having a conversation and a spoiler pops out, that's a real thing that happens all the time. It happens in everyday conversation at the water cooler, chats with friends, etc. A spoiler to one person may not be a spoiler to the larger community. This is reasonable.
An unreasonable situation would be holding back something that has long been played out, like... the Breaking Bad finale, just to appease one person who's currently watching it through an online streaming company. Guess what? It's been out for awhile. You should reasonably expect that if you talk about it, lore fans will probably spoil some of the plot lines. It's happened to me MANY times, and I understand that it will continue to.
This expansion has been out for almost 2 months now. Every single spoiler to date is online somewhere. Talking about one of the questing cinematics and saying, "I can't believe that _____ happened," is totally reasonable.
However, if you're using lore as a tool to troll guild chat, you'll find yourself in a completely different situation. Remember that guild credo of Community - Teamwork - and Respect? Yeah, that one. It basically means "let's all get along." If you can't get along with us, or choose to poke us with a stick (metaphorically speaking), then maybe we're not the community for you.
What Can You Do About It?
Here are my solutions for you in regards to this, but can be expanded to other issues with guild chat:
• If you're behind a bit in your questing, or for whatever reason don't know current lore within the game and want to experience it for yourself, try ignoring gchat. I understand it's a very attractive thing, this always moving green wall of guildies. But if you want to immerse yourself in the game, then please do!
• If you are discussing lore in gchat and someone complains of "spoilers," maybe you should play the nice card! If you have a point about whatever lore it is, I'm sure there's a way of talking to the group without letting the few in on certain key elements of it.
• If you have a problem with either someone "spoiling" things, someone accusing you of "spoiling" things, or our policies as a guild, please seek out your nearest CTR Guild officer, or email ctgrofficers@gmail.com if you wish. Please keep personal conflicts out of gchat, as it degrades everyone's in game experience, and please don't feed the fire -- especially if you're just a by-stander!
I realize that these may sound a little condescending to some folks, but that's not what is intended. These are logical, reasonable responses that will keep gchat a great place to be -- where people can feel free to discuss the topics of the day, lore and all.
Why Do Officers Monitor GChat In the First Place?
The short answer is: because this is our chatroom too! We want there to be vibrant chat amongst guildies at all times, as it helps us celebrate this community.
I would love to see a day when officers (and some members) didn't feel like they had to monitor chatroom behavior. Unfortunately, we're not there yet, and it's difficult to always know when we need to put our officer hats and badges on.
But sometimes we need to step in and be peace-keepers... as conflict, spite, in-your-facedness, and anger can degrade the vibrant chat. And so we try to interject when we see a problem in the process, maybe jump ahead to likely conclusions and try to steer the conversation back to milder waters.
Sometimes it can seem like it's a little heavy handed. I get it. Sometimes it can feel like the officers are hovering over your shoulder, waiting for conversation to go awry. If you have an issue with an officer, please email ctrofficers@gmail.com, as that email will go to department heads and the Iron Council. This is your way to communicate with us directly at any time.
But please understand this -- the officers of this guild are trying to make this guild a great place to be for all types of players. They want the very best out of this community, and they're trying very hard to interpret the guild policies and guidelines as they approach new situations. All of them probably have different personal views on what the credo means, and all of them handle situations differently. Not all of them are the best at handling conflict, but they've all got their hearts in the right place as they work for the greater good.
And, if you're unaware, the greater good are the THOUSANDS of players in this guild. We'd like to make everyone's gaming experience the best, but in order to do that we need to set some reasonable expectations for each individual. These expectations are found in our credo and in our policies and guidelines. We need to work together to make this community continue being great, and I'd appreciate your help!
If you have questions about this post, please reply below or email ctrofficers@gmail.com... or even my personal email: pat.krane@gmail.com. I will make myself available as I can to field questions about these or other guild policies.
Thanks!
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