I’m not sure if this is an appropriate place for this, so feel free to move it.
I’m just sticking this where I feel it’s best.
So, there’s this Role-Playing website called The Fantasy Sandbox. I’ve joined, and so have a few others on the Message Boards, who I will name later. It’s a pretty great place. It’s definitely more mature, I’d say maybe PG-13, and even on the stronger side of that spectrum. On the whole, though, it’s pretty good. Huge posts filled with lots of detail, lots of stories, plenty of people to RP with…
Now, you’re probably wondering: What kind of RPG is it?
It’s basically one big RPG, with hundreds of little stories inside it. You’ve got different nations, city-states, towns, rural areas, forests… But it’s all one big world. It’s medieval/fantasy themed, too.
Another note, it is a Sandbox, so adding your own stuff is welcomed and even appreciated. However, it is best that you get a feel for the place before you do so.
Now, another note: There is a discord. However, unlike many of the various discords started by TTV members that I’ve been in, this is largely filled with young adults. That comes with a much larger quantity of swearing and generally inappropriate content for people younger than around 18 or so. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’m one of the few minors on the website, though, and they do try their best to keep the NSFW stuff under control. However, the discord isn’t a necessity, and there are plenty of OOC chats on the actual website. I would stress that the discord is pretty key, though, and it’s a great way to get to know a lot of the people. I hope some of you consider.
TFS uses a system where your account is your character. So you create an account, then change the name, profile picture, and other profile details to match the character you want to play. I have no idea if there’s any sort of screening process; it’s not like here where there’s a specific sign-up thread and you wait for approval.
Well I was banned from their Discord originally because one of the admins found out I was a Creationist from another server. Ironically said server was to help with writing, ended up being the result of my ban. He told me it broke their rules to have a worldview like that, something about no heresy or something. I have screenshots of everything from that encounter.
Then I was sent an apology after I complained about it. Of course they also told me I was still banned for breaking rules and unwritten rules. This was admin two, who didn’t really say much.
Admin three, Bucky, eventually just told me that I had broken no written rules, and only “unwritten rules” and that I was no longer welcome on the Discord.
All in all, a toxic community. There’s two or three good blokes from what I’ve seen, but yea. That’s my experience. If you think I’m exaggerating I’ve got the screenshots to back it all up.
Oh, now I know what they meant about Keith.
That sucks. It seems like a really nice community as long as you’re respectful.
I myself am Catholic, and disagree with a lot of the things said, but I just let it be.
I wasn’t even mentioning the creationism thing on their server either. I don’t think they are a nice community, and I’d get the heck out of there. Not worth the time.
To offer my perspective on the issue: TFS is a… complicated place. Many of the admins are not the best people, who I have heard to make decisions on petty reasoning. There’s also lot of unwritten rules that you’re nevertheless expected to adhere to, which can be frustrating.
However, to the average player none of this really becomes apparent, something Meep can probably attest to. Most people are allowed to simply go about their business, especially if they’re playing characters and not trying to run any sort of government or organization.
In this instance, Keith happens to be a special case. From previous experience I can say that he’s someone who tends to push the envelope on what admins will or will not allow. He did this multiple times within TFS, to the point that the community and staff got sick of him. They came up with an arbitrary reason to ban him from their Discord server, then offered different reasons each time he tried to appeal the ban. Since then Keith has made it his mission to find anywhere TFS is being advertised and spread his story.
To be clear, I do not condone the actions the admins took against Keith. However, this is hardly something that happens to everyone, and ultimately if you’re curious about the game I’d recommend checking it out and forming your own conclusions.
The end reason was breaking “unwritten rules” not written ones. Which is pretty much impossible to follow, especially if you don’t actually list them all out. Thus being “unwritten.”
Said rules, are subjective and appear to be applied to who they dislike, and sometimes stretched or often ignored for people who they do like.
Wonderful.