Where is the family friendly line?

[Arkansas Warrior]

In a forum where we casually joke about how some factions/PTB like to nuke worlds out of existence, or talk about unarmored infantry as PBIs, or them being turned into "chunky salsa", exactly when do we cross the line into family-unfriendly territory?  I mean, certainly Amaris's murder of anyone even tenuously related to the Camerons, or the horrific atrocities of the 1SW are horrible crimes against humanity, but they're part of the game's history, and hardly off limits.  But I've seen the occasional reminder to keep things family friendly, at least one recently I'm fairly certain was directed at something I'd posted.  So....where do you draw the line on acceptable subject matter in a game whose fiction deals with some very dark issues, both on the massive scale, as I've discussed above, down to the very personal (various works involving Kali MacDougall, for example)?

[Trace Coburn]

  If you’ll permit me the conceit of quoting my own post, from the thread which apparently prompted this question:

  [copper]
  Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please:

  This thread has been subject to an enforcement action — several, in fact, starting with the ‘drive-by’ carried out by Moonsword — and we find it proper that we remind posters here of several of the forum rules:

1. Proper Conduct

Confront an opinion, rather than a person; personal attacks of any kind are not tolerated. Proper conduct includes treating each other with respect at all times.

The posting of messages or materials that are obscene, abusive, discriminatory or threatening in nature, or designed to harass or intimidate another person are not tolerated.

We encourage lively debate about a number of topics, however when you object to a certain post to the point where you intend to attack the poster, contact the Moderators instead. The post may also be objectionable to us, in which case a heated response will just get you in trouble as well.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Moderators directly, or by using the “Report To Moderator” button available at the bottom right of any post.

  As Moonsword’s friendly reminder notes, this is a family-friendly forum.  It says it right there on the BattleTech boxed-set(s): ‘for players 12 and up’.  The Moderators understand that discussion of a fictional universe constantly wracked by war will often fall into some uncomfortable and colourful territory, but certain of those colourful references in this thread have flirted with, or outright crossed, the line where we divide ‘tasteful’ from ‘off-colour’ — or ‘downright obscene’.
  While not a hard-and-fast rule, I saw a good suggestion several years ago and consider it a guideline for my own posting: if you are about to post something you would not be comfortable with your eleven-year-old niece or nephew reading, you might want to find a less colourful way to express your viewpoint.

3. Don’t start trouble

Posts the Moderators consider overly confrontational will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, trolling.

  When the Moderators make an in-thread post ‘politely suggesting’ that posters should stop discussing a certain topic, or abandon a certain tangent, that ‘drive-by’ does constitute an enforcement action, however courteous and mildly-phrased.  To publically contest that ‘suggestion’, whether by directly challenging the Moderator’s input or continuing to discuss the tangent, rises to the forum standard of ‘trolling’ and is grounds for enforcement action.

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The odd frivolous post won’t attract attention, but systematic behavior and thread hijacking will be addressed with Warnings and Bans as necessary. Posts may be moved or deleted in these cases.

  We Moderators are human; we often let side-discussions run for the sake of interest or humour.  That being said, anyone wishing to clown around at length should take their routine to the MechWarrior Hall, or another site entirely.  Succinctness is welcome, but posts too brief to hold any informative or conversational value will find themselves subject to action under Rule #9.

13. Executive privilege

The Administrators and Moderators have the right to edit, delete, move or lock any message and/or thread for any reason.

There may be NO warning and NO explanation as to why. We use our own discretion and judgment. This means that even if we’re wrong, it’s our right so long as we think our actions are necessary to keep the forum clean, and a desirable place to hang out. Often we’ll attempt to notify you when such measures are taken.

  The Moderators generally do not make use of ‘executive privilege’ for formal Warnings, but we do consider the ‘clean and tasteful’ standard an implicit component of Rule #13 and we act accordingly.  We have exercised its provisions in the past, and however much we would prefer to avoid the need, in all likelihood we will do so again in the future.


  This concludes this public service announcement.  Thank you for your attention; play BattleTech, have fun, enjoy the game... and please, keep the Rules in mind when posting.  Staying inside their lines will save a great deal of trouble for everybody involved.

Trace Coburn, Moderator

  / [copper]