The message stated:
So I recently decided to try to host a normal game and was notified that I need to join the host queue after my sign up ban has expired.Hello ironstove,
You are being banned, effectively immediately fromnew mafia games for four weeks for abusive behavior. You are also to be force-replaced from all current games. Posts like this are not acceptable on mafiascum. You've been previously banned for these types of posts before as well as discussing ongoing games, and I want to reiterate that you need to be more careful with your posting overall.joiningIf you have any questions you may contact a Listmod (Llamafluff, Mina, Nexus, Radja, T-Bone, Untrod Tripod). You'll be able to sign up for new mafia games again on Sunday 19th February 2017Please refer to the Site Rules if you're unclear on what types of behaviors are not okay.
Thanks,
Nexus
Normal Listmod
I requested further information on why this is the case, and I had my PM ignored.
I'd simply like to know why a ban effecting a player in one area (the ban itself I feel was excessive, considering that a warning is perfectly sufficient) should restrict action in another without any specification?
I find that the rules at MS are pretty vague, this is literally the only line that I can find that is relevant to the offense I committed:
Of course some insults and flames are allowed, but why is it alright to call a person a 'shithead' or 'moron' and launch personal attacks berating someone's intelligence as a human being, while a comment by me indicating (humorously) that suicide is a permanent solution to all of life's problems gets me a 4 week ban and force-replaced from my games?Since Mafia is based largely on conflict and psychological manipulation, we are somewhat more tolerant of aggressive and heated posts in-game than in the rest of the forums. However, game mods will often take action for excessively abusive behavior or slurs, up to and including a force-replacement or modkill. In certain cases, posters with multiple or severe offenses may receive site-wide punishments from the list moderators, such as temporary or permanent bans from. Please refer to the most recent pages of the Ban/Restrictions Announcements thread for an idea of what behavior crosses the line.joining or playing games
On top of this, the ban I received was specifically for signing up into games, not hosting games (That is the specific wording used from the rules itself), so I think the vagueness of the rules should be more specific or fixed, or mods need to do a better job at communicating with users, rather than saying 'you're banned from joining new games', it should say you're banned from being involved with any games'
There also needs to be an appeals process IMO, there currently is no board of review for bans that occur on MS like other online communities, and I'd like to know if something of this sort could happen. I went through one mod, who directed me to a site admin, the site admin refused to read the thread and understand the context of my comment, rather he said the ban was justified and I was lucky I didn't get a harsher punishment (wtf???). When I asked him to look at the context, he ignored me and did not respond back.
The first ban I received was for cursing and using a homophobic epithet as a joke, not because I actually thought someone was gay, and even if I knew someone was gay, I would not have a problem with it let alone be insensitive enough to use a slur against them even if I did (I don't).
I knew after that 'Ok ironstove, remember to not make any racist or homophobic remarks because mafiascum is a #safespace and you don't want to get B& again' so I consciously tiptoed my way through this game that i was in
but really, even suicide jokes are over the line? I'd like a definitive list of all actions and terms which are banned from usage on MS.
My ban is ending soon anyway and I'm planning to rejoin a game, but I already suspect someone is going to try to report me for some minor offense and a ban happy moderator that doesn't like me is going to try to issue something like a 3 month ban on my account because I'm a 'repeat offender' LMAO.