Potential Withdrawal from OWBN

Given the recent issue arising in OWBN regarding Registered Sex Offenders, our parent game is potentially withdrawing from the organization. If this happens, we will be leaving with them. I'm posting this to alert players of this impending change. If we do officially withdraw, there will be an opportunity to transfer characters to other games in OWBN.

Our CM is asking for opinions on the matter. Feel free to leave them here so we can gather a consensus. I'm leaving the words of another local HST on the matter, as he succinctly articulates the problem we are facing currently.

Regards,
Kaela
HST CNYbN
____________________________________________

Good afternoon,

Given the fact that the Org (One World by Night)) is allowing Sex Offenders to play in the org (We were previously unaware), and in fact there are over a dozen of them, we feel we have no choice but to end our involvement with this organization.

This is not a happy moment. I've dedicated much of the last ten years to the local games, but I find myself with a clear choice. Bucky and myself cannot associate with this group and expose ourselves to the potential consequences of such an association.

The Orgs opinion on this is that it is on the individual players to seek council and legal opinion to rely upon in order to insulate themselves from possible liability. That is an untenable position to be in, we cannot ask all of our players to retain council because the Org refuses to seek any legal guidance.

Where do we go from here? Well, I'd prefer we go Troupe for a bit, while we seek entry into CFC or any of the other major networks. Anyone wishing to move their character to an Org game is free to do so, we will allow you to house your toon wherever someone will take you in.

There are professionals of all stripes in our gaming group, and I believe all of you will understand the gravity of this situation. These players have been at major events, which most of you have attended. This is playing with fire, and I see no reason to do so.

Should the player base demand it, we will step down and allow another staff to take over the game (in order to stay in OWBN). We strongly encourage you not to do this, for the reasons listed above, but we will not make that choice for you.

Thanks. All of you.
Brian

The Org has no business policing this. Individual games can do whatever the fuck they want. Individuals whose jobs may be at risk can do whatever they want (though I must question how they can function in society if this is an issue.) Hell, I would even be for banning people on an individual basis. A blanket ban isn't going to work.

However, this is only my opinion. I will be researching the legal consequences of this as time and circumstances allow.

The Org should retain a lawyer. There should probably be more paperwork for minors to be able to play. Individual games should adjust their houserules accordingly (I would support a ban here, as we game on a college campus and occaisionally allow minors to play), but a blanket ban isn't a viable option.

...Upon further discussion: Let's see what the Org does, and see what the playerbase feels about the decision. Doing nothing, however, is probably a bad idea? I will consult with a lawyer when available.

It would be nice if we had a lawyer to consult with. haha.

If we wait it out, cool. If we withdraw, fine as well.

The only thing I'm not cool with is the idea of joining the CFC; there are aspects of that org which are not so broke person friendly, plus the potential loss of local history...

I play in these games because I love playing in owbn. If we withdraw, ill try to stick around but it wont be the same. I understand that people are scummy but that shouldn't ruin the entire org for the rest of us.

Dycissa Meranhaal wrote:If we wait it out, cool. If we withdraw, fine as well.

The only thing I'm not cool with is the idea of joining the CFC; there are aspects of that org which are not so broke person friendly, plus the potential loss of local history...

I hadn't considered this part. Even if we could maintain our characters in the CFC, not as transfers but as new sheets, all backgrounds, all histories, everything we know about the area will be different.

The more I think about it, the more I'm of the opinion that if we must leave the Org we should be a troupe game rather than going CFC.

I have heard rumors that there may be an new group/org forming, which would allow the history etc to be kept, I don't have all the details...but figured I would mention it as an option...I wish they had been more up front, this feels like some old BS in general.

We'll see what our options are. Also, fuck the CFC long and hard and with an iron rod.

You say that like they're fairies.

CFC is totes shadow court, isn't it? I KNEW IT.

As the token "We should give 'em a chance" person, I have to ask where the rabid antiMES stance comes from. Is it really the 20ish/year fee?

Okay, full disclosure. I was rabid AntiMES 48 hours ago because the one time I tried to join it was very much "You need to be Member Level 8 to play a gangrel, but we reset every year and a half and the next one is due in two months so don't make anything you care about." And that was a poor first introduction.

Brian and I have been doing research into MES and he's going to put me in contact with their vampire team. From what he's found out I'm less opposed, but still have reservation. For example, the vampire stuff goes off a weirdness scale. Due to the nature of our game having many independents, most of you are starting off weird as it is and once you hit 100% weirdness you retire. The fact they don't factor in an independent game is something that concerns me for this and something I want to address when I speak with them.

You can see the scales Cam/Anarch guide and Sabbat

THat said, I really just wanted to make a joke about the shadow court.

I think we should just make the Midnight Society.

I call this the tale of the abyssal spectre.

*cracks knuckles* Yeah, we can do that.



Spectres, she said! She wants spectres!

Come play in the Giovanni game, they said! It'll be fun, they said!

I'm probably the most ignorant of the situation here, but my one opinion on all this is that transplanting a chronicle, even a new one, to a network that's based on totally different (if superficially similar) genre isn't going to work. There are just too many things, small and large, that are changed to squeeze it in as anything but a total reboot and reroll - and if that's the case, why "move" anything at all?

We're leaning towards troupe if we leave the OWbN network at all. It seems many of our players seem to agree.

As for the new network, I've been invited to the planning group for that and it appears that the RSO issue will be the same as OWbN. If that is a concern for the playerbase then we're back to square one.

I'm literally exploring all options right now, including the CFC/MES group.

I feel the need for a poll coming on.

OK, my 2 cents. Midnight Society.

I am leaving my opinion on certain players COMPLETE overreaction to this situation in private convos. I've done troupe my entire gaming career so w/e. A local org could be fun.

kaest wrote:As for the new network, I've been invited to the planning group for that and it appears that the RSO issue will be the same as OWbN. If that is a concern for the playerbase then we're back to square one.

Just out of curiosity (and admittedly, not knowing the whole story behind the RSO issue here) what are they splitting off over if not over this? It seems really weird to split over too lax of a RSO policy and then NOT go hardliner on it.

The split was happening well before this was brought to light, apparently.

Also I updated a new topic with an updated poll on the matter. More options are involved.