As part of finishing up and posting up my work on the board game, I dusted off my old Dumpshock account and posted it there too. While I was there, I discussed some of the things that were good and bad about a couple of books and chapters that - get this: I didn't work on. No personal attacks, no secret information, no special rage-ons, no profanity. Just a couple of considered book reports, mentioning good and bad. And I got a warning mail from the mods:
So what the fuck, right? I mean... I hadn't violated the terms of service of anything. I hadn't even been flirting with the NDA on anything because I was talking about material that I never saw in prepublished form and never signed an NDA in reference to. Needless to say, I called attention to this. A different Mod further expounded on their reasoning:Caine Hazen, a Mod wrote:The freelancer material should be kept behind closed doors. I know you aren't one anymore, but we expect the freelancers to follow certain codes of conduct related to their NDAs and request that they keep their freelancer drama elsewhere. Let this serve as a final warning for this type of post. You are down to your last lifeline at this point, so if you wish to continue to freely post on DS, you will need to re-read the TOS, and rethink the posts and discussions you are having on these forums. You should note that your posts are being watched and reviewed carefully by the moderation team.
Thank you
The DS moderation team
Yes, you heard it right. If someone was ever a writer for Shadowrun, they aren't allowed to criticize any part of any Shadowrun product ever printed or which ever will be printed. Except... that's obviously not enforced. Except against me.Bull, a Mod wrote:Frankly, there's nothing really top secret going on with freelancer discussions, outside of unannounced products and plot lines. But it's incredibly tacky and amateurish for anyone that either is or has been a freelancer to be involved in discussions that are doing little except tear apart decisions made by those in charge, or ripping up the work of other writers and freelancers. It doesn't lead to constructive discussion about Shadowrun. And we don't want it on Dumpshock. Period.
And that, sirs and madams, is why I very rarely look at anything on Dumpshock. Because the moderators are assholes who carry a personal grudge against me despite the fact that I never actually did anything to them personally.
-Username17